Phantom Agony
by snoopykid
Summary: Anna finds out the memories of her and Elsa when they were kids is not real in the wrong way possible and this brings back old feelings that she thought she buried in the months since the Great Freeze. To prove that she is not someone that needs protecting, she runs away and it is up to Elsa and Kristoff to bring her home. Will they get Anna back? Rated T for possible language.
1. Prologue

Ok so I know, but I promise I will update my Once story: 'Castle Made of Glass' soon. However I have recently gotten into reading Frozen fanfictions because I am like really obsessed with movie and what not (which by the way the DVD comes out March 18th *squeals like a little kid*).

So as I thought about the movie, I was kind of thinking how Anna never gotten her memory back, which to me means she never really found out about the accident when her and Elsa were little. That kind of has been bugging me a bit.

Well me being me, I am here to rectify that! So thus this little story was thought up in my magical, little, 'procrastinate on school work' mind. By the way the story will be loosely based on the song: Phantom Agony by Epica. If you have not heard it, I suggest you go to youtube, type in Epica-The Phantom Agony Offical Music Video, look for the username: TheSpanishConspiracy, and listen to it. It's a good song.

Anyway without further ado here is this story. Love it, hate it, flame it, or if you are Elsa ice it.

I owe nothing!

**Phantom Agony **

**Prologue **

_The future doesn't pass  
And the past won't overtake the present  
All that remains is an obsolete illusion_

We are afraid of all the things that could not be  
A phantom agony

Do we dream at night  
Or do we share the same old fantasy?  
I am a silhouette of the person wandering in my dreams

Epica 'The Phantom Agony'

Arendelle was not unfamiliar with snow, since their Queen had powers that can control ice and snow; however this was not the Queen's doing. It was the beginning of December and it was the first snowfall of the season since the Great Freeze a few months prior. It was dark and quite around the castle grounds. The only light around was the bright glow of the full moon, which made the new fallen snow on the ground sparkle. It would have been nice, beautiful even, if it wasn't for the set of foot prints that came from a hidden alcove in the gardens leading toward the royal stable.

The person that made the foot prints paused for a moment and hugged her black cloak tighter around her neck and looked back at the palace. Scowling, she turned her back to the place that she felt was once a prison, and quickened her pace with unusual grace completing her destination as she arrived at the stables. Quietly, she opened the stable doors and entered, then shut the door behind her. Sensing another ominous presence, the horses and Sven gave loud call of alarm. Jumping in alarm at the commotion, the girl through her hood off revealing strawberry blonde hair, and immediately began shushing the horses and Sven, "Its ok it's me, Anna."

Recognizing the princess's voice, the horses and Sven immediately calmed and grunted as they each were throwing the princess looks of annoyance, "Look I am sorry ok?" Anna stated quietly, still listening to anyone approaching. Hearing nothing, she swiftly strode over to the rack that held the saddles and the reins. Taking her leather saddle and the appropriate reins, she went over to her horse, and opened the stall, "Hey Pharis." Anna greeted quietly as she started to saddle him up. The stallion regarded her with a confused look, "I know it is late, but I need to leave."

Sven immediately perked up at this. He was just about to fall back asleep, but now was looking at the princess and his best-friend's girlfriend and grunted. Hearing this Anna looked over at her 'supposed' boyfriend's best-friend, "Yes Sven, I cannot take being here another minute." Anna said as she completed her task and led Pharis out into the small alley way. Throwing the reins over a bar, she went over to the reindeer's stall. Seeing Kristoff's bag, she dug into it and pulled out a carrot and held it out to the reindeer.

For once Sven did not immediately take the carrot. He just stared at it and then looked at the princess. Tilting his head to the side, Anna sighed heavily, "Please Sven, do not do this. I have to do this. I just cannot stay here anymore. I am so sick of being suffocated and hearing that what happened…what everyone did…was for my best interest. Elsa, my parents, and even Kristoff…they think I cannot handle anything. Like I am a damsel in distress. I had to handle everything. I was alone for thirteen years for godsake!" She yelled at the end making the horses and the reindeer jump. Immediately gasping at what just happened, Anna froze in her spot; listening for any sound of someone approaching.

Hearing nothing she released the breath she was holding and turned back to Sven who was giving her a pitiful look that said 'you are not alone now'. "I know," Anna relented, "but it still feels like I am. Anyway, please do not tell Kristoff any of this and do not tell him where I am going. I will be back though. I promise."

The reindeer snorted and still seeing that she was holding a carrot, Sven gave her another look that spoke 'I hope you know what you are doing' and took the carrot, "Thank you Sven." Petting the reindeer's nose Anna left his stall and quickly opened the stable door. Turing to Pharis, she took his reins off the bar, "Ready Pharis?" Pharis gave her a look that read 'I guess I have to be'. Anna smiled gratefully, "Ok boy. Now are never."

She gave Sven a final look before walking out shutting the stable door behind them. Sighing, Anna faced the palace one more time she muttered, "I do not need protection. I am not a damsel in distress. I will show them." With that she mounted her horse and together they rode off into the snowy night.


	2. She Knows

I just want to say thank you to all who have favorited and alerted myself and the story so far! Also a virtual chocolate chip cookie goes to a guest named Rarity01 for the first to review! Hopefully this update exceeds expectations and you all enjoy!

**Phantom Agony **

**Chapter One: She Knows Now**

**Earlier in the Day-**

"How long?" Elsa asked her voice low and emotionless as she had her back turned toward her guest.

"How long what?" The man's voice was slightly solemn as he looked upon the Ice Queen. His stomach turned uncomfortably as he thought about the reason as to why he was even having this discussion with the sister of his girlfriend.

Elsa turned back around, her ice blue eyes staring dead into his brown ones, "How long have you known?" Her tone was desperate and he could see the pain in those icy blue eyes. Often he wondered just how much she could keep in…or sometimes he wondered just how much pain Anna saw in her sister's depths.

Thinking about Anna made this conversation all the more harder as he recalled the day that he first laid eyes on the princess. It had taken him a bit to remember just when he saw the sisters, however recently it had been bugging him. That is until it had finally dawned on him. Seeing the Queen was still waiting for an answer, he ran his hand through his blonde hair, "Honestly? It just dawned on me after Anna told me about her platinum streak and her dream she had when she was little about being kissed by a troll, two nights ago when I had eventually asked her about it."

Elsa regarded Kristoff with a look, "Is that all she told you?"

"That is what she thinks happened or she was just born with it. She likes to think it was the trolls," Kristoff explained smiling at his girlfriend's innocence. However that smile fell as he recalled the real reason it occurred, "I was there Elsa. I saw what happened."

Elsa, who had turned away from the man, spun back around. Her normally pale complexion turned paler, "You were never in the palace. How could-?"

"No not the palace. I was there when your family visited my family. I saw what Pabbie did to Anna." Kristoff clarified, "And I heard what he told you and your parents." He watched as slight frost started to appear on the walls and immediately tries to calm the Queen down, "Elsa you have to tell Anna. It is not healthy to keep this in. She will understand. Just let it go and tell her." (A/N: See what I did there?)

"I can't." Elsa said taking a deep breath, "She cannot ever know." Just then the grandfather troll's words enter her mind from a long and distant memory: _Your power will only grow. There is beauty in it... but also great danger! You must learn to control it. Fear will be your enemy._ Shaking her head, she starts to feel her control slipping and immediately starts to think about her sister. She sees the love and trust in Anna's eyes and smile. She could almost hear her laughter and voice: _Do you want to build a snowman?_

Kristoff looks around as the frost starts to retreat back into nothingness. Giving the queen a few more seconds he says, "She already knows of your powers. What good is it to keep this secret any longer?"

"She wouldn't understand." Elsa says going toward the window in her study. Looking outside she sees Anna playing with Sven, Olaf, and a few of the kids on the grounds. The ground had a bit of natural powdery snow from the previous night.

Kristoff goes over to the window and places a comforting hand on her shoulder as he looks out the window as well, "I think she would and she would forgive you and your parents as well." There was silence as Elsa pulled away from him and went over to her desk to sit down in her chair. She placed her head in her hands as that night came back to her, "It was an accident." She finally said, her tone thick of regret, "I didn't mean for it to happen." Kristoff turned away from the window as the queen spoke of the accident that happened thirteen years prior.

In the meantime Anna had run into the palace leaving the reindeer and Olaf to play with the kids. She had managed to glance up at just the right moment to see her sister and Kristoff staring out the window. When she had tried to wave to them, they turned their backs. So she decided that she would just have to run up and bring them down. Skidding to a halt outside her sister's door to the study, she was about to raise her fist to knock her signature knock when she heard her sister's voice, "So that was when he explained what we had to do: which was to erase her memory of my powers. I was so devastated, especially when he started to explain the nature of my powers and how dangerous they could be."

Anna's eyes narrowed as she lowered her fist and just stood at the door, staring at it. What was Elsa talking about? "I remember," she let out a silent gasp as she heard Kristoff's voice, "he had said that you had to learn to control, or fear would be your enemy."

Anna slowly backed away from the door at this point as she heard Elsa's voice, "Yes, however in that time after Anna's accident our parents reduced the staff, and separated us. I moved out of our room and into my own. Papa tried to help me in any way that he knew how: 'Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let them know,' is what he used to say. However when Anna would come to my door all those times, it was when I was the worse. Those moments knocking on my door, asking me about building a snowman…" Elsa gave out a bitter laugh.

Anna could feel her breathing quicken at what she was hearing. I had an accident? The trolls were involved? Our parents? And Kristoff? What were they talking about? Why were they talking about me? Where the many different thoughts running about her head. However, she must have been so lost in her thoughts that she heard movement and chairs sliding on the wooden floor, "And she has no clue about this?" Again she heard Elsa's voice. It sounded like their conversation was just ending.

"No," she heard Kristoff's voice and footsteps, "I have not told her. I figured I would tell you first that I knew."

There was silence and after a beat, "Please do not tell her. This is not her burden to carry."

Another beat of silence and finally Anna heard Kristoff again, "Ok I promise. However I think you should tell her." After hearing that, Anna ran away from the door and down the hall, turning the corner just as the Ice Master and the Queen opened the door and made their way to the dining room for lunch.

As Kristoff and Elsa were being served, they noticed that Anna had yet to appear at the table, "Kai, could you please go outside and tell Princess Anna that lunch is being served?" Elsa requested as the servant poured some soup into their bowls.

"The Princess is not outside, your majesty. I saw her running up to your study door, and then moments later she was running to her room. I tried to ask what was wrong, but she just told me not to worry about it and proceeded to lock her door." Kai explained, "Shall I go retrieve her anyway?" He asked after a moment seeing that the queen and the ice master needed to process what they were just told.

Elsa was hesitant at first. This seemed so unlike her sister, however she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she thought over Kai's explanation, "Yes please." Elsa said not quite as confident.

Kai bowed and left the duo alone, "You do not think she heard anything do you?" Kristoff asked as he stirred his soup, feeling not as hungry as before. Elsa bit her bottom lip and did not respond; however just looking at her gave him the answer he needed.

A few minutes later, they saw the doors open and Anna entered. She tried to smile at them however they could tell that it was forced, "Hey guys." She greeted as she sat down. It was not lost on duo that she did not sit near Kristoff like she normally did. Instead she chose to sit across from him and she slightly moved her seat away from her sister.

"Hello to you too," Elsa stated as she carefully watched her sister, who took a spoonful of soup and started eating.

There was a tense silence in the room as they ate quietly. Finally Kristoff couldn't take it anymore and broke it, "How was playing outside with Sven, Olaf, and the kids?"

For a minute Elsa and Kristoff saw something flash in the princess's eyes, however before they could name it, she spoke, "Oh it was fun. We had a snowball fight, Sven ate Olaf's nose again, Sven and I borrowed your sled and gave the kids a small ride, and then we ice skated for a bit." Anna explained as the servants came back out and traded their soup bowls for the second course which was salad. As Anna took a bite of her salad she watched her sister and boyfriend. She was considering on not coming down for lunch, but then changed her mind when Kai had knocked on the door.

After calming down from her panic attack as to the nature of the conversation she overheard, she had decided to give them at least a chance to do the right thing, which was to talk to her about her supposed 'accident' that she had no recollection of, "How about you two? What did you guys do so far?" She asked feigning obliviousness.

Elsa was taking a sip of her wine and Kristoff was taking a sip of his water when they started gagging. Putting their cups down they started with, "Nothing-" "Talking-" Looking at each other they started again, motioning for one of them to start, "We were talking, about nothing." Elsa stated lamely.

Anna narrowed her eyes, "Really? Talking about nothing?"

"Yes. Talking about nothing…of importance." Kristoff said smiling at Anna, although he could tell that she was not buying it.

Anna just nodded her head and munched on a piece of lettuce contemplating her next course of action. Swallowing, she said, "Nothing of importance huh?"

"Nothing that you need to worry yourself about. Just boring business stuff." Elsa said smoothly as Kai started taking their plates of salad as another servant handed out a plate of pasta.

Anna nodded as she twirled her fork expertly around the pasta and shoved it in her mouth. Fine, she thought, two can play this game. Once she swallowed and took a sip of her water, she said casually, "Boring stuff you say?" She placed her fork down and looked them both dead in the eyes, "Because I stopped by your study and it sounded pretty intense."

Elsa and Kristoff paused their forks as they met Anna's gaze. Sharing a look at one another they realized that she definitely knew something was up. Elsa sighed and placed her fork down and met her sister's hard gaze, "What exactly did you hear?"

"Something about me being in an accident and Kristoff knowing. Also something about my memories?" Anna said in tone that would suggest casualness, however Elsa and Kristoff could hear the annoyance.

Kristoff and Elsa shot each other another look, "Ok stop doing that!" They jumped at Anna's angry voice, "You have been exchanging looks at the table nearly the whole time! Just tell me what is going on!"

Kristoff gave her a look and was about to open his mouth, when Elsa placed a hand on his arm to stop him. Meeting the Queen's gaze she shook her head at him and then turned to meet her sister's angry gaze, "Ok there is something we talked about."

"Yea I gathered that much." Anna shot back crossing her arms. Seeing her sister was not going to continue, Anna waved her hand, "Well?"

Elsa pushed the plate away and waited until the servants took all their plates. Once they were alone Elsa took a deep breath, "Anna, please do not get mad."

"Elsa it is a bit late for that. You promised no more secrets. Yet I find you and my boyfriend behind a closed door talking about me like you two know something I don't." Anna said as she shot her boyfriend a pointed look.

"Anna, please. Just hear her out." Kristoff said gently meeting the strawberry blonde's intense glare.

Elsa and Kristoff were in uncharted territory. They have never seen Anna this mad. Of course Elsa could remember the temper tantrums that her sister used to throw, and those were bad enough. Also they remembered how she had punched Hans in the face, however seeing this side of Anna…especially directed towards them in particular, it was a completely different story, "What we were talking about…it was about you." Elsa whispered as she had to look away from her sister's piercing blue eyes.

Anna stayed silent, but her glare did not soften up. As far as she was concerned, her sister broke her promise about there never being anymore closed doors and no more secrets. Seeing Anna was not going to comment Elsa sighed deeply, "I should have told you this sooner. Much sooner."

Despite the anger she was feeling, Anna felt her glare soften a tad bit as Elsa stood up and began to pace. She could see frost starting to form in the corners of the room, "Tell me what Elsa?" Anna asked, her voice not holding as much animosity as before.

Kristoff stayed silent having already heard the whole story. In fact he would have left considering this was a family matter, but then again he too was involved in this. Obviously not as a great extent, but still he was a witness none the less, "You of course remember how close we were when we were younger…right?"

Anna nodded, "Yes I do. We were the best of friends. We played all the time, and when it would snow outside we would make snowmen and play in the snow." Anna allowed a small smile form on her face. However she felt it fall as she took in Elsa's devastating face.

"We would play in the snow all the time Anna. Literally all the time. You see, the memories of us playing in the snow…are not quite what they seem to be." Elsa saw Anna's face knit together in confusion. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she continued to plow ahead, "You obviously know I was born with the ability over ice and snow. However what you do not remember is, I mainly used my abilities to play with you. You would wake me up in the middle of the night, begging me to build a snowman with you: 'The sky is awake, so I am awake, which means we must play', you often would say to me. Of course I could never resist your wishes and we would go to the ballroom and I would make it snow."

Anna was not looking at her sister or at Kristoff. She was glaring hard at the wall behind her sister, as if trying to force it to show the memories her sister was talking about, "So I knew about your powers when I was little?" She eventually asked.

"Yes." Elsa stated gently.

"That means all my memories of us in the snow outside are-"

"Mostly false." Elsa said with a nod as she clarified that with her sister. Seeing Anna was not going to ask another question, Elsa continued the story, "I was eight and you were five when it happened. One night while we were playing in the ballroom, I created snow mounds and you would jump mound to mound as I created them. It was going fine and we were having fun. As far as we knew it was just another night of fun…that is until you started jumping faster. I tried to get you to slow down, but you were too caught up to notice that I was not able to keep up with you." Elsa paused and the ice started to appear. Elsa hid her hands under her arms as that night started to play in her mind.

She could see Anna jumping off the mound and she could see herself slipping on her own icy floor, "You jumped and I couldn't catch you fast enough. As you fell from the high snow pile, I slipped, and I tried to save you by using my magic, however I accidentally struck you instead."

Elsa was watching her sister's face closely. However she was not seeing any indication that Anna had heard a thing she said, except for the glassy look in her blue eyes. Kristoff looked at his girlfriend and reached across the table to grab her hand, but as soon as he touched her hand, she pulled away from him and continued to gaze at the wall. Almost willing herself to remember these events, "You were unconscious in my arms. I shouted for Mama and Papa and we took off to see the trolls."

Kristoff knew this was becoming harder for Elsa as the temperature started to drop. So he sighed and continued the story, "I was eight years old and Sven and I were alone. We were heading to town when we saw an ice trail that appeared after two horses went by. We followed them to the Valley of the Living Rock. That was when I saw you and your family." Anna did not turn to look at him. Her gaze was still on her sister, or rather it was directed toward the wall. Kristoff looked at Elsa who was still concealing her hands under her arms as she continued to pace.

He took this as an indication to continue, so he sighed again, "I watched as Pabbie worked his magic to stabilize your condition. I heard him say that since Elsa's magic had only affected your head, it was easy to cure. However, he thought it would be best to…" Kristoff couldn't continue.

Elsa sighed and took up the rest of the tale, "To be safe, Pabbie thought it was best to remove your knowledge and memories of magic. He then had told Mama, Papa, and myself about the true strength of my abilities. Long explanation short, he said that while they were beautiful, it was a danger. He said that fear will be my enemy."

Anna did not speak as she listened to both Kristoff and her sister. In fact she could see the details as clear as…well as clear as ice. Elsa and Kristoff just looked at one another again and decided to just continue with the story. Elsa sat down and started again, "After we came back from the trolls, we, as in mother father and myself, thought the best way to protect us was for the gates to be locked. Then to protect you, we thought it best to put me in isolation. I agreed because I didn't want to risk my powers getting out of control and harming you again. So for the next thirteen years I kept my distance." Seeing no reaction from her sister, Elsa couldn't take it anymore, "Anna please say something."

Anna was still staring at the wall, digesting everything that was told. She knew that Elsa and tried to protect her. However, hearing everything brought back so many feelings of anger and abandonment that when she finally spoke she said, "What do you want me to say Elsa?"

"Anything so I know what you are thinking." Elsa nearly begged as she took her sister's hand in her own.

Anna ripped her hand out of her sister's grip suddenly angry, "So now you care what I think?! After thirteen years of having doors slammed in my face, which ended up me to believing you despised me. Now all of a sudden you give a damn?"

Elsa and Kristoff's jaws dropped as Anna begun to pace and she continued her rant, "Ok you know what? Fine it was an accident. I cannot fault you for that. It seemed to have been my fault anyway so I will take the blame-"

"Wait what?" Elsa asked standing up, "No. It was not your-"

"Shut up!" Anna yelled pointing her finger in her sister's face, "You explained something now it is my turn so just shut up." Elsa immediately closed her mouth as her sister's glare drilled into her, "I honestly do not care how or why my memories were erased. What I do care about is being lied to or rather how the situation was handled. Fine you struck me. Big deal! But you, mother, and father…" Anna had to pause and through her hands up in the air, "How the hell did you think that locking yourself up in your room would have helped?!"

"We were trying-"

"No! No you weren't! You were doing that whole 'conceal, do not feel' crap! It was complete and utter crap! And the worst of it is that you knew it was crap!"

The temperature dropped completely and light snow was beginning to fall in the dining area. By now servants entered the room to see what the yelling was about, however the trio did not notice them. Kristoff debated on going over to Anna to try and calm her down, but thought better of it, "Anna please it was for your best interest." Elsa tried to say while trying to get her powers under control.

"No! Stop! Stop saying it was for my best interest, because it wasn't!" Anna yelled again. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "To me, based on what you told me, you were just fine when we were kids. From what you told me, you were in full control of your powers. However the real sad part is that Pabbie told you the secret to your powers long before any of this hit the fan." Anna looked her sister dead in the eye and took a step forward as Elsa took a step back, "You made me spend thirteen years of my life thinking that you hated me. Do you know how many times I cried in my room each time I heard the words 'go away' or absolutely nothing at all?!"

Elsa glared at her sister now, "So we are going to go there? Really Anna you want to go there? Fine. How about do you know how I felt each time you knocked on my door asking if I wanted to build a stupid snowman?! Huh?! Can you imagine how I felt?! I nearly killed my little sister! Excuse me for being a bit traumatized!"

Seeing the argument going into dangerous territory, Kristoff looked around. He saw the servants gasping and not moving as now heavier snow began to fall. Seeing no one was going to help, he took a step forward and tried to step between the fighting sisters, "Ok let us take a deep breath before-"

"Stay out of it!" Elsa and Anna barked at him.

"Ok." Kristoff said holding his hands up and went back over to his seat at the table which was covered with snow and ice.

Anna turned back to her sister, "Traumatized?! You were traumatized?! At the age of fifteen, I had to bury our parents alone! You were the only family I had left! I needed you Elsa! And you were not there for me! I needed love and comfort to get through the tragedy. So where the hell were you?! Do you know what it was like being out there and having everyone look at me, the fifteen year old princess, expecting to have the answer as to what the hell was going to happen to the kingdom?! Or having everyone asking where the hell have you been?!"

Elsa did not have a comeback for that. In fact she couldn't say anything as Anna was panting and her normally bright blue eyes that glimmered with happiness was now dark and filled with anger, "So no Elsa, you and our so called parents did not protect me at all. Don't ever say that you had my best interest."

The only noise that was in the room was the snow falling everywhere. Although no one took notice. Finally Elsa spoke, this time her voice softer, "We just wanted to protect you."

"I never asked for protecting. I never needed protecting." Anna stated firmly, "I needed my sister. I needed my best friend."

"I am sorry." Elsa said sadly. Anna looked at her sister then back at Kristoff. Shaking her head she ran out of the dining room leaving them standing in the middle of a winter wonderland.


	3. Poetic Justice

Ok if Anna seems a bit OC in this chapter, just think about how mad you would be if you were lied to and about all the feelings that Anna has had to deal with in the past sixteen years. Thirteen years for being ignored by Elsa and her parents, and the three she had to deal with burying her parents and Elsa continuing to ignore her. I mean seriously if all that just came out at once, I am sure you would go off the deep end too. Just saying.

Also by the way, I am borrowing 'Do you wanna build a snowman?' so no I am not stealing it, I am borrowing it. I do not own it in any way, shape, or form. Hell if I did then I would be stinking rich and I would not have to worry about future careers or debt.

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Two: Poetic Justice**

**Later-**

Anna was glaring hard at the portrait in front of her; and no it was not Joan of Arc. This portrait was of her parents: The King and Queen of Arendelle and it had a black silk cover over it. It had been three years since she had been in her father's study and watched as Kai and Gerda placed the black fabric over the oil painting. With her mind made up she touched the silk fabric and ripped it off, dust was released into the air, but Anna did not care.

She threw the silk cover on the floor, and continued to glare hard at their kind faces. Their kind eyes stared at her. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words would not come out, however finally she settled for, "How could you do this?" Her voice was hoarse from the yelling that she had done a half hour ago. Neither Kristoff nor Elsa had tried to come find her yet. At first she had ran to her room and trashed it in the fit of her anger. Then after she was done, she stormed out and decided to have a 'talk' with the other co-conspirators, namely her parents.

"I could have handled it you know." She said again, "Fine you wanted to keep Elsa's secret? You didn't think I would have understood when I was younger? Ok that would have been fine, but how about when I got older? I mean didn't you think-" Anna stopped and finally yelled, "You made me believe that she hated me! You made me believe that I was completely worthless to her!"

Anna started to violently pace. She knew deep down that somehow this was not right, however years of frustration and hurt came spilling out and she supposed that this would have happened at some point, but for now she did not care as she spun back around to face the portrait, "You saw how much I was hurting! You definitely saw how much she was hurting! You thought that hiding her was protecting me…protecting us?! You made her believe that she was a monster!" Wait, when did she start defending Elsa? She was supposed to be mad at her older sister. She was just as guilty as them…right? "I mean I did not need protecting! I needed my family! I needed my sister! You both were not there for me! I started talking to the paintings on the walls!"

By this point Gerda was walking down the hall. She heard what happened between the sisters at lunch, however when she approached Kai about talking with the both of them, he said it was best to leave them alone. So she found it odd that someone was in the King's study yelling, because no one had been in that room for three years. Not since Kai, her, and Anna placed the funeral cover over the painting.

Before she could knock on the door she heard the voice once more, "You took everything from me! I was alone because of you! Because of her! I mean that was supposed to protect me?!" Suddenly there was a sharp bang and a yell of, "Damn it!" Gerda burst the door open to see Anna holding her fist and a hole in the wall with the black silk cloth on the ground.

"Princess Anna!" Gerda gasped going over to the princess, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, completely fine." Anna hissed out cradling her bleeding and now swollen fist still glaring at the painting.

"If you pardon me, your highness, I do not think you are." Gerda said gently as she motioned to the hand, "Let me take you to the doctor."

"Fine. I was done here anyway." Anna said bitterly finally looking away at the portrait. She did not know why she had come; it was not as if she was expecting a response. They were gone. Dead and buried. They did not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

Turning around Anna knelt down and picked up the discarded cloth, still keeping her injured hand elevated she handed one end to Gerda, "Help me put this back on first?"

"Princess Anna, I think it would be best to visit-"

"I will, after I do this." Seeing Gerda was not giving in she said, "Please."

Gerda sighed; she supposed her hand did not look too bad. Without saying anything, she grabbed the other side of the cloth and together they recovered the portrait, "Ok now let's get you to the doctor."

Anna nodded and allowed herself to be led to the doctor, "You know, Queen Elsa and Master Kristoff are worried about you." Gerda allowed herself to say.

Anna snorted, "Why should they be? I can take care of myself." Gerda looked at the Princess and with her eyes motioned to the injured hand, "For the most part." Anna amended.

"They are as much upset, as you are dear." Gerda rephrased.

Anna laughed bitterly, "They are only upset that I caught them in the lie. They would not have told me. **She** definitely would not have told me anything had I not called them out. You know that as much as I do. I mean how long had I spent trying to get her to open up to me, just to have every blasted door slammed in my face?"

"It was not her fault." The older woman reminded her gently, "They really did think it was in your best-"

"Do not say it." Anna ordered sharply as they stopped in front of the doctor's study, "Please for the love of Arendelle do not say it. In fact for all intense and purposes not a word to her majesty about this or what happened in father's study." Anna pointed to her hand, "_**Not **_a single word."

"As you wish." Gerda said sadly and she left Anna in front of the door. Groaning and shaking her head she knocked and after receiving permission to enter, she went in to get her hand checked out.

After Anna's explosion in the dining room at lunch, Elsa and Kristoff went their separate ways: Kristoff to his room and Elsa to her study. She had mounds of paperwork to accomplish, and meetings to attend to. However she found she could not focus on any of them. She had really wanted to talk to Anna, but found that she could not gather they courage to do so. Even when it was around dinner time, it was just her and Kristoff again sitting in the now snow free dining room.

Both of them were silent, not exactly knowing what to say. Neither wanted to bring up what happened at lunch, however both of them wanted to know how Anna was. So it was Kristoff that braved the tension, "Have you seen Anna yet?" he asked softly.

"No, I take it you haven't either?" Elsa asked.

"No." Kristoff responded.

They then both fell back into silence. Kai had the evening off, so when Gerda came to serve the main meal Elsa asked, "Have you seen Princess Anna today?"

Gerda looked at the older sister as she took the Queen's wine glass and filled it, "I have seen the Princess."

"How is she? Did you let her know about dinner?" Elsa asked.

Gerda looked at the queen and was instantly thrown back into memories past. She remembers seeing that hopeful look in Anna's eyes each time she tried asking her about Elsa: 'is Elsa coming to breakfast?' 'Is Elsa going to be in the library too?' 'Does Elsa know that dinner is ready?' 'Do you think Elsa is going to sit next to me at the table today finally?' Oh the irony, Gerda thought as she could hear the younger girl's voice.

Still seeing that the queen was waiting for a response, she was again thrown back into memories as she had to give the same response to the younger girl, only this time it was to the older one, "I have made the Princess aware of dinner, however she wanted me to tell you that she respectively declines and will eat in her room, to which I have already sent a tray up for her." Gerda watches as the hope dims from the eyes of her queen. Again she remembers seeing Anna's eyes dim until the point where the rejections just did not affect her anymore.

"I see." Elsa manages out trying to keep her composure, but she was failing.

Gerda was about to leave when she takes a look at the man who is courting the princess and steals a look back at the queen. Sighing she says, "If I may be so bold," Elsa and Kristoff look up. Taking this as a sign Gerda continues, "Things will get better. Love can thaw your majesty." Then she took her leave, leaving Kristoff and Elsa to pick at their food in silence, thinking over her words.

After dinner, Kristoff went to the stables to spend the evening with Sven, while Elsa made her way to her room. However she paused at her door. 'Love can thaw', Gerda had told her. Just looking at her door, she thought back to all the times that Anna stood in the same spot. Begging for her to come out and play. 'Do you want to build a snowman?' Anna's sing-song voice came to her mind as she looked at the blue patterns on the door, "Yes. Yes I want to." Elsa whispered the answer to herself.

Becoming braver than she really felt she made her trek to her sister's door. However as she stood in front of it, she could feel the irony of the situation. Sighing she was about to reach for the knob, before she drew her hand away. No, just assuming that the handle was unlocked was not right. She was about to turn away when again she stopped. That is not right either, Elsa thought. Anna did not give up, so why am I giving up? What am I afraid of?

Turning back to the door, memories of Anna's moments at her door came to mind. So doing the only thing she could think of, she cleared her throat, "Anna?" She then proceeds with Anna's signature knock, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

There was no response so Elsa sighed and continued, "I am really sorry for what I said. I did not mean to hurt you the way I did. Come out the door, and let's talk this out." Elsa could hear a slight sigh, so seeing that at least Anna was paying attention to her she again continued, "We used to be best buddies, our bond was growing so strong. It was like nothing happened at all. Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman." Elsa finished lightly with a small smile.

She felt really hopeful, that is until she heard Anna's muffled response, "Go away, Elsa."

So that was what she was afraid of. The rejection that those two small words had on her was like a knife through her heart. However that did not stop the queen as she sighed and tried again, "I know you are upset. I am too, but please don't shut me out. We can work this out. It doesn't have to be this way...do you wanna build a snowman?" Elsa asked again this time more hopeful.

However Anna did not respond, nor was there any sign of the door opening. Elsa sighed and slid down the door so she was sitting with her back up against it. This was the first time Anna had fully rejected her, and it hurts so much. How could Anna have done this for so long was beyond her; was it any wonder she had given up after a while?

So she figured she could try one last time, "Please Anna, I know you're in there. I am trying to have courage for the both of us. We will get through this, please I know I was not there for you, but I'm right out here for you now. Just let me in." Elsa paused as she allowed her head to rest on the door. She remembered the night of their parents' funeral. How Anna had said something similar, "We only have each other. It's just you and me, please Anna I do not know how to comfort you, what are we gonna do? I am truly sorry for the things I said and for the things I did. I love you Anna, how did it come to this? Is there any hope for us again?" Again she paused hoping that her words were reaching her sister. Did Anna really hate her…hate them this much? "Do you wanna build a snowman?" Elsa asked again.

She hears a sigh and movement in the room, and jumps up. She waits for the door to open, and for an instant she feels some sort of hope, however that hope is crushed as she hears, "Please Elsa. Just go away. I do not want to build a snowman. I do not want to talk. I just want to be left alone, is that so hard to understand?"

A light snow starts to fall in the hallway and ice starts to form at the queen's feet. Bowing her head she hides her hands under her arms, "Ok bye…" As Elsa walked away she could not help but feel as if she deserved this treatment. It must be some sort of poetic justice, she mused bitterly to herself as she drew closer to her door. Opening it she stepped inside and closed it. Yup she mused as she got ready for bed, definitely some sort of poetic justice.

Inside the room, once Anna hears her sister retreating she looks back at the mirror and touches her hair. Apparently after the accident, according to Elsa and Kristoff, she had developed the familiar a platinum blonde streak that she had. Once she had become unfrozen, it had vanished. However when she entered her room after getting her hand bandaged, she noticed that it was back. It was half this reason that she had not wanted to see Elsa, and of course the other half of it was she could not bear to look at her sister.

"What is going on?" Anna asked out loud once her sister had retreated from her door as she touched the streak. She knew that she had to come out of her room eventually and when she did, Elsa and Kristoff were bound to worry about her…especially since they thought she was too fragile to handle herself.

Scowling at the thought she suddenly had a brilliant idea. The trolls; they could help her. Brightening at the idea she thought this was an excellent idea. She could show Elsa and Kristoff that she did not need protection, while at the same time she could solve this problem. Besides, as she recalled Elsa and Kristoff's story, the trolls had a hand in this deception as much as Elsa and her parents did.

With that in mind she began changing out of her dress and into her winter outfit that she had purchased at Wandering Oaken's trading post back in the summer. It consisted of a dark blue skirt with a black bodice, light blue blouse, blue gloves, and black heeled boots. However instead of her magenta cape with its matching cap, she chose a thick black cloak that she wore at her parents' funeral.

Re-looking at her reflection in the mirror, she nodded her head in approval. Perfectly happy that she was going to be properly prepared when she went out this time. However now the only thing she needed to do was to sneak out, which was not exactly easy with a palace full of servants. Biting her lip, she spotted an old leather bound book that was laying open on the other side of the room.

Recognizing it, she immediately went over to it and looked at it. Smiling she remembered how she came across this book. It was back when Elsa was ignoring her and she started talking to the portraits on the walls. She had taken a particular interest in Joan of Arc at the time, so she had actually wanted to research and learn more. In the library she was in the arts and architecture section and discovered the blue prints/journal entries of the palace.

She had asked her history tutor about it, and he had explained the history of the palace and then he talked about having the passageways during a war time in order to get the royal family out sneakily and safely. When she showed him the book, he taught her how to read the blueprints, however he also told her that there could have been changes made since the palace was built, so not to go looking for them.

However being the eleven year old she was at the time, took this as an excellent excuse to get Elsa out of her room and take her on an adventure. So of course she had tried and persuade her sister to come with her to check them out with her, however that failed; just like all the other cool things she tried to get her sister to do. So she had placed the book on her shelf that she had christened her 'things to do with Elsa'.

Looking at the blueprints she smiled to herself. Snapping the book shut she heard another knock on the door, "Anna?" Oh no, she thought, Kristoff, "Anna, I know you are upset."

Anna did not say anything as she heard him sigh, "I understand if you do not want to talk to us or see us right now; however please try and understand. We love you." Anna gasped quietly as she heard Kristoff say the 'L' word. They had only been going out for a few months after the Great Thaw, but they had yet to say the…well…that word to each other. Of course he included Elsa in that sentence just the same, but still…, "We just want what was best for you."

And Anna scowled again. However Kristoff made no move to open the door or anything like that so he just said, "I hope I will see you in the morning. Good night Anna."

As she heard him walk away, she quietly opened her door just as he rounded the corner, "Good night Kristoff and good bye." She then proceeded in the opposite direction towards the library.

Despite it being dark, she knew these hallways by heart, having traveled down them many times over the years. However once she reached the library, using the light from the full moon, she fumbled for the lantern and the matches. After lighting the lantern she proceeded to take out the page that shown one of the passageways that would have led her to the alcove in the gardens. Going to the fireplace she walked a few paces to the left and then fumbled along the wall to feel for a switch.

Suddenly her hand glossed over one of the bricks and she smiled to herself. Looking at the paper in her hand she compared it to the brick. Bringing the lantern closer, she saw a small engraving of her family's crest. Her smile became wider as she placed the paper on the desk, she went back over to the brick. Pressing the brick she heard a small rumble as the entire wall swung open. Breathing in she looked around and listened closely in case anyone was coming. Hearing no one she went into the passage, and no sooner than she did so the wall shut itself and she was encased in darkness with the exception of her small light source.

Deciding she had come too far to turn back, Anna made her way down the dark passage. She was going to prove herself once and fall that she did not need protection. She was going to figure this out on her own. That she did not need Elsa nor Kristoff to protect her. Once she was done with the trolls, she came up with a new plan as she found the tunnel leading to another door. Pushing it open she saw she was outside. Quickly blowing out her lantern, she thanked whatever higher power there was that the full moon was bright enough to see. Placing the lantern on one of the benches, she drew her hood up and held it close to her to protect her from the cold as she made her way to the stables.

Once she reached the stables, she opened the stable doors and entered, then shut the door behind her. Sensing another ominous presence, the horses and Sven gave loud call of alarm. Jumping in alarm at the commotion and immediately began shushing the horses and Sven, "Its ok it's me, Anna."

Recognizing the princess's voice, the horses and Sven immediately calmed and grunted as they each were throwing the princess looks of annoyance. She apologized to them and then proceeded to take her leather saddle and the appropriate reins from the wall. Going over to her horse she opened the stall, "Hey Pharis." Anna greeted quietly as she started to saddle him up. The stallion regarded her with a confused look, "I know it is late, but I need to leave."

Sven immediately perked up at this. He was just about to fall back asleep, but now was looking at the princess and his best-friend's girlfriend and grunted. He heard from Kristoff as to what occurred at the palace, he wanted to protect the woman that his friend loved. Hearing this Anna looked over at her 'supposed' boyfriend's best-friend, "Yes Sven, I cannot take being here another minute." Anna said as she completed her task and led Pharis out into the small alley way. Throwing the reins over a bar, she went over to the reindeer's stall. Seeing Kristoff's bag, she dug into it and pulled out a carrot and held it out to the reindeer.

For once Sven did not immediately take the carrot. He just stared at it and then looked at the princess. Tilting his head to the side, Anna sighed heavily, "Please Sven, do not do this. I have to do this. I just cannot stay here anymore. I am so sick of being suffocated and hearing that what happened…what everyone did…was for my best interest. Elsa, my parents, and even Kristoff…they think I cannot handle anything. Like I am a damsel in distress. I had to handle everything. I was alone for thirteen years for godsake!" She yelled at the end making the horses and the reindeer jump. Immediately gasping at what just happened, Anna froze in her spot; listening for any sound of someone approaching.

Hearing nothing she released the breath she was holding and turned back to Sven who was giving her a pitiful look that said 'you are not alone now'. "I know," Anna relented, "but it still feels like I am. Anyway, please do not tell Kristoff any of this. I will be back though. I promise."

The reindeer snorted and still seeing that she was holding a carrot, Sven gave her another look that spoke 'I hope you know what you are doing' and took the carrot, "Thank you Sven." Petting the reindeer's nose Anna left his stall and quickly opened the stable door. Turing to Pharis, she took his reins off the bar, "Ready Pharis?" Pharis gave her a look that read 'I guess I have to be'. Anna smiled gratefully, "Ok boy. Now are never."

She gave Sven a final look before walking out shutting the stable door behind them. Sighing, Anna faced the palace one more time she muttered, "I do not need protection. I am not a damsel in distress. I will show them. I can take care of myself." With that she mounted her horse and together they rode off into the snowy night.

As clouds started to form in the sky blocking out the full moon, light snow started to fall. Once it started to fall, it covered the tracks as to the direction the rider had taken to get to the stall and the hoof prints showing the path the horse had taken as per directed by said rider. By the time morning would come, there would be mass panic as the stable hand discovered the princess's missing horse. This intern would cause pandemonium inside the palace, as they would try and alert the young princess, but to find her missing as well. The Queen and Ice Master would be devastated and immediately the search for her would begin, before another devastating storm would hit Arendelle.

However for now on this night, both the Queen and Ice Master were too engrossed in their nightly dreams. These dreams consisted of peace, happiness, and most importantly: love. The reason for such dreams was because they were memories. Memories of a time where they were at their most happiest; and it was all due to the one person they valued more than anything else in the world. To them, they were totally unaware as to what the morning would bring, and for now perhaps it was for the best.


	4. She's a little Run Away

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Three: She's a Little Runaway **

**The Next Morning-**

Elsa and Kristoff sat at the table eating breakfast. Neither one had seen Anna yet, but that was par the usual in the morning since she was not the greatest morning person in the world. However, Elsa could not help but feel like there is something majorly wrong. Kristoff kept trying to steal glances at her as she took a sip of her tea, "If you have something to say, then say it." Elsa said as she ate a piece of her toast.

"Should we be here? I mean while Anna is in her room, shouldn't we try talking to her instead of being here?" Kristoff asked as he looked at the Queen.

Elsa paused her fork which was going into her eggs. She thought back as to what Anna would have done. Anna would have tried to get her out again before even thinking of doing something. She would have heard a knock and her sister's familiar sing-song voice to, 'Do you wanna build a snowman?' Elsa placed her fork down and sighed, "You are right. We should-"

"Your majesty! He's gone! Someone robbed us!" Elsa and Kristoff's heads spun as the dining room door burst open.

Elsa watched as the stable hand skid to a halt in front of them. The servants entered the room wondering what this commotion was about this time, "Slow down Daniel. What happened?"

"I was going to feed the horses and saw that he was gone!"

"Who was gone? Sven?!" Kristoff exclaimed as he was getting ready to run out of the room.

"No, no not the reindeer! Pharis! Pharis is gone!" Daniel exclaimed still panicking, "I went to his stall and saw that he was gone!"

Elsa and Kristoff looked at each other, "Who is Pharis?" Elsa asked gently seeing as the stable hand was on the verge of a full blown panic attack.

Daniel looked at her wide eyes and Elsa suddenly got a real sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, "He is the princess's horse your majesty. Princess Anna broke that horse herself when she was a girl! The Princess is the only one that Pharis has a strong bond with!" Just then Kristoff and Elsa watched as stable hand's face turn really pale, "Oh my god! The Princess! She has to know!" The man started running out of the dining room.

"Wait!" Elsa called out. The man stopped dead and turned to face the Queen, "We will go alert the princess. You gather a few guards and search the grounds."

The stable hand turned back around and bowed, "Yes your majesty." As Elsa and Kristoff were leaving the stable hand called out to them. He waited until they faced him and said, "Please break the news gently. He was her only friend…"

Elsa felt her heart break as the hand and the guards walked out of the room, "How are we going to tell her?" Kristoff asked.

"I do not know." Elsa stated. She looked back to the door to see Gerda and Kai standing and waiting, "Will you come with us?" Elsa asked them.

"Of course." Gerda said softly.

Kai nodded, "Yes of course, your majesty."

As they walked down the hall Elsa asked, "Did Anna really break the horse?"

"Yes she did." Gerda nodded, "I remember that day. Pharis was considered untamable when your parents first obtained him."

"How old was Anna?" Kristoff asked. Anna did not really talk to him much about her childhood, however considering what happened, well that was understandable. He stole a glance at Elsa and could see that she was feeling the same way, despite the fact that they grew up in the castle together.

Kai put a finger on his chin and looked up at the ceiling, "She must have been ten. Yes she was, because she started horseback riding after she tamed Pharis. The King and Queen were worried about her getting close to Pharis, since he was so wild. However one day Anna got into the stables and by the time she was found, she was sleeping on Pharis. Anytime someone went near them, Pharis would shoot them such a look."

Elsa watched as Kai and Gerda smiled fondly at the memory. Elsa was cursing herself internally, deep down she was jealous at everything and everyone who had gotten to know the princess. Everyone else that had been allowed to remain in the palace after the accident had gotten to watch Anna grow up. They had gotten to see how Anna had become the young woman she was today; and she hated that! She hated that she missed Anna's childhood and she hated that she missed out on major milestones in her younger sister's life, "How did Anna manage to tame the horse?" Elsa eventually asked.

"No one really knows; we just suspect that she has a gift." Gerda answered as they neared the hallway that led to the rooms, "Oh my, this is going to break the princess's heart if he ran off."

"I do not think he did run off. It is not like Pharis to leave the princess…" Kai said as they drew closer.

"Do we really know if he is gone?" Kristoff asked, "What if someone took him out on a ride?"

Kai and Gerda both shook their heads, "No one is allowed to ride him except for Anna." Kai stated.

"Remember when Hector tried to ride him?" Gerda asked wincing as if the memory brought her pain.

"Oh yes, he was in the hospital wing for six weeks." Kai said also wincing.

Kristoff and Elsa looked at each other. Pausing just before Anna's room, "What happened to him?" Elsa asked looking at the servants she and Anna considered as second parents.

They looked at each other, then back at Elsa and Kristoff, "You do not want to know your majesty."

Exchanging another glance, Elsa and Kristoff approached the door. Elsa looked at the ice harvester and the two servants. Taking a deep breath she knocked their special knock, "Anna? It's Elsa, Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda. We have something important to tell you…can we come in?"

There was no response from within. So Kristoff stepped forward, "Please Anna, it is about Pharis. We need to talk to you."

Still no response. Elsa was at her end's rope now, ice started to form on the walls and it started to lightly snow, "Your majesty-" Gerda started to say.

"Anna you either open this door or I break it down. Your choice!"

Still nothing, "Alright. Have it your way." Elsa stated as she took a few steps back.

"Uhm wait a minute. Are you-?" Kristoff started to say, however Elsa flicked her hands.

A large gust of wind came forward and all of a sudden there was a large crash as the door barreled into the room. Everyone looked at the Snow Queen whose face was shocked, they then looked into the room. The morning light shone brightly in the room. It was disarrayed as the broken door lay on the floor covering in ice and snow along with the scattered paraphernalia of Anna's things, however that is not why everyone was wearing shocked facial expressions, "Where is Anna?" Kristoff asked. Although when he did, there was a drastic drop in the temperature.

Everyone turned to look at the Queen, who had her hands balled into fists and there was massive amounts of snow and ice forming all around her, "Queen Elsa!" Gerda shouted over the loud roar of the wind.

"Your majesty!" Kai called.

"Elsa!" Kristoff yelled as he tried to walk over to her; however the wind strengthened which caused them to be thrown against the wall as ice and snow hit them.

They tried to get up, but neither one of them could reach the Queen as her eyes were squeezed shut and the ice shards were swirling around her. Memories of Anna passed through her mind. They consisted of the accident, then of the coronation, then the incident at the ice palace. They were coming into her mind faster and faster. It switched to fjord: Hans telling her that Anna was dead, the sound of the sword drawing, Anna's voice crying out, Anna turning to ice. Elsa saw herself staring into Ice Anna's cold scared eyes. The loss gripped at her heart. Anna was the one that kept her under control, her smile and her warmth kept her grounded. The queen was shaking as once again the memories started to bombard her, 'conceal it, don't feel it, and don't let it show'. "NO!" Elsa yelled and she collapsed on her knees and everything came to a sudden halt.

Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda held their breath as they watched the stillness around the Queen. Nothing and no one moved as the Queen was shaking on the ground. Kristoff swallowed the lump in his throat and cautiously crawled over to the devastating monarch, "Elsa?" Elsa did not move nor speak. Kristoff felt the small ice shards digging into palms as he continued to crawl forward. Once he reached the monarch, he gently pulled her into a hug and she broke down, "It's ok. We will find her. I am sure she is fine."

Kristoff looked at the two servants hoping to see that they thought the same way, but all they could do was give him a look of pity and he went back to comforting the queen.

Meanwhile out in the woods, rider and horse cautiously entered the Valley of the Living Rock. They had been riding out in the woods for most of the night, only just stopping as the sun was rising by a river. Anna wondered if anyone knew they were gone, or if they were just finding out. She bit her lip as they made their cautious approach to the outskirts of the area. She had seen her reflection in the small pool where they had stopped at for a break, this was not looking good for her, although she was grateful that there was no pain like the last time. Pharis stopped just off the edge of the area and his rider got off, "Ok bud stay here alright? I will be right back." She said gently as she tied his reins to the tree.

He grunted as a response as he watched his rider enter the area. She did not lower the hood of her cloak as she quickly glanced around at the large boulders. Anna sighed heavily as she called out, "Hello, I came here to see Pabbie."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake a little and the rocks started to roll and morphed into trolls. They all circled around the person, making it impossible to get out while two of the trolls rolled up to the person, "Who are you and what do you want with Grand Pabbie?" A male troll named Cliff asked defensively, as he tried to eye the person.

Anna pulled back the hood and everyone gasped at her, "Princess Anna!" A female troll named Bulda exclaimed out loud, causing a lot of the trolls to mutter among themselves in shock. Seeing the girl was becoming uncomfortable, Bulda silenced them, "Is Kristoff with you?" She asked trying to look behind the princess.

"No, I left him and Elsa at the palace. I need to see Grand Pabbie." Anna said firmly as she remembered what he and Elsa had done, "Please. It is important."

Before any of the trolls could respond, Pabbie came rolling over to Anna, making everyone quickly moved out of the way, "Princess Anna! What brings you here?" Pabbie asked with curiosity in his voice. Then seeing her facial expression he asked, "What is wrong child?"

Anna knelt down to her knees and began to tell him everything that Elsa and Kristoff had done. Everything from keeping the secret of the accident, to what had happened in her father's study. Then finally she motioned to her hair, which instead of the one platinum blonde streak, it had turned into multiple highlights of streaks. Pabbie nodded along and once she was done, all the trolls had remained silent. They had all remembered that day very well in the young princess's life. Finally after a few moments, Pabbie spoke quietly, "Let me first apologize your highness. When I had done that, I did not mean any harm. I had really thought that it was in your-"

"Please, no more. I do not want to hear that it was for my best interest or safety." Anna said sternly, which caused the older troll to look at her in shock, "All I want to know is, how I can fix this?" Again she pulled a blonde strand forward and showed him.

Pabbie frowned and touch the strand, but as soon as his fingers touched it, he yanked his hand back as if he had been burned, "This is something I have only read about. I have never exactly witnessed such magic."

Anna looked at him with worry. Seeing this Bulda and Cliff each went to her side and grabbed one for her hands for support, "Is it dark magic?" Anna asked in a whisper.

Pabbie looked at the young princess and said, "It seems my dear that your heart is re-freezing itself." He whispered.

The trolls all gasped as did Anna, "But-but-I have no pain. I do not feel cold. How can that be possible?" She had stood up and began to pace, "Because I know the last time this happened I was like really cold and literally freezing to death, but now I am not cold and I do not feel like I am freezing to death. I mean I am kind of cold, but that is because it is winter. You are supposed to be cold in winter, especially since it is a lot colder at night and-"

"Princess Anna!" Pabbie yelled regaining the princess's attention. Seeing that she was quiet and looking at him when she stopped pacing he took a deep breath and said, "Calm down. I do not mean literally freezing like the last time. Well I kind of do, but not like last time. This is more emotional."

"Emotional?" Anna asked looking at the troll.

Pabbie nodded, "Yes, you see the reason that love can thaw is because it is warm; almost like fire in its passion and warmth. It does not matter how love comes by just as long as someone legitimately has love in their hearts. Ice is developed through fear, anger, and hate. That is what I had tried to warn your sister and parents about that night. I tried to convey to them about Elsa's powers and how they worked…however it seemed they took the wrong meaning behind my words," he muttered to himself not looking at the princess, although Anna heard it anyway and she snorted. He looked at her then and saw something flash across her eyes, "You have to go back to them."

"What?" Anna asked, "Why? Just so they could shut me away again? Come up with another excuse as to why they did what they did? No thanks. I ran away so I could prove myself to them. I do not need them or anyone."

"And yet you came to me."

"To see how I can fix this." She motioned to her hair.

"What is the difference?" The troll asked, "I am as much to blame as they are, considering I actually took the memories. I could have told you when you came here with Kristoff about what happened, yet I kept silent." Anna had nothing to say and kept silent as she glared at the troll. Pabbie sighed and said, "You need to go back to them. If you continue the road you are on, then you heart will continue to freeze. You will become a shadow of your former self, and you will lose everyone and everything you care about. I know you are hurting, but giving into one's dark side is not the answer. Running away is not the answer."

Anna thought about his words and sighed. She knew he was speaking the truth. Maybe she did go overboard with this. However as she was thinking about it, another voice spoke. It changed her thoughts about forgiveness and how Elsa still shut her out, when she promised not to. If she broke that promise what was to stop her from breaking more. They fed her lies and deceived her. Shaking her head she said, "No. There has to be another way. I am not going back. I am not going to be sucked into another world of lies."

Shock was written on the trolls faces as Anna turned her back on them, "Wait Princess!" Pabbie called out as Anna untied Pharis.

"Thank you for your help, but I am continuing on my journey. If Elsa thought she could just up and leave me, then I can just up and leave her too." With that she jumped on her horse and took off.

Bulda and the other trolls looked at their leader as he sighed, "There is another storm brewing." He spoke looking to the sky as the sun became covered by big black storm clouds that was forming from the direction of Arendelle.

"What do we do?" Cliff asked, "It is not like we cannot get directly involved."

"We hope they realize what is happening soon, otherwise I am afraid for the worst." Pabbie said. Then he walked away from his family. Bulda and Cliff looked at each other and hoped that Kristoff will come to them soon, so they could warn him about Anna.


	5. Beware the Frozen Heart

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Four: Beware the Frozen Heart**

The whole palace staff was gathered in the throne room. Elsa sat on the throne staring hard down on her workers. She had her moment of weakness, now was time to find out what happened to her sister. The guards had come back saying that no one had seen Anna or her horse around town, and nothing suspicious from the previous night either. So Elsa had gathered the staff, "Ok let's start at the beginning." Everyone looked nervously to one another as the Queen spoke in a hard and emotionless manner, "Who was the last person to see Anna yesterday?"

They all looked to one another and the doctor stepped forward, "I did your majesty."

Elsa looked at the doctor, "Why was the Princess with you?"

"She had really bruised her hand up, your majesty. She claimed that she had taken a bad spill, but in my professional opinion it was more than just a spill; however she was not in the mood to talk, so I did not push."

Kristoff could see worry in the Queen's eyes. Before he could speak this time there was a light cough and heads turned as Gerda stepped forward, "I saw the princess before her visit to the doctor. In fact I led her there myself."

She looked uneasy as Elsa stood up from her throne, "What happened to Anna?"

"I cannot say. She ordered me not too," Gerda said wincing as she remembered the look that Anna gave her.

Elsa's eyes narrowed and light ice started to form on the walls, "Well since I am the Queen and Anna is just the princess, my word trumps hers." Seeing that the woman who essentially helped raise them, Elsa's voice became softer, "Please Gerda."

Gerda shook her head and sighed, "After hearing about the fight, I was walking in the hallway, when I heard some yelling from your father's study."

"My father's study? No one has been in there for three years." Elsa said eyebrows raised in surprise.

Kristoff watched the interaction between the Queen and Gerda. Anna had told him who the last people that was in the study after the death of their parents. He also remembered that she had told him that there was an unspoken rule in the palace that no one ever went into the late-king's study. Seeing that Gerda was having a bit of trouble speaking, he also had to wonder how Anna managed to make Gerda hold her tongue, "Gerda?" Kristoff spoke softly. Heads turned to face him, including Elsa's, "Please, what happened in the study?"

Gerda heaved a sigh and as much as she hated breaking something the Princess told her in confidence, however she knew that what the Queen spoke before was the truth. It was her word against the princess's, "I was about to open the door when I heard the princess yelling. Then afterward I heard a loud bang and well when I entered I found a hole in the wall with the princess holding her hand."

"She punched a hole in the wall?" Elsa asked in shock and surprise, "In our father's study?"

"Yes. We placed the cloth back over the painting and I took her to the medical wing. She ordered me not to tell anyone, including you, anything." Gerda said solemnly.

Elsa sighed heavily and sat back on the throne. Before she could comment, the doors opened and Olaf strode in, "Hiya everyone!" He said happily.

"Olaf now is not a good time." Elsa said trying hard not to hurt the snowman's feelings.

Olaf stood quietly taking in the atmosphere in the room, "Oh ok," he said swinging his twig arms, "has Anna come back from her late night ride yet?"

Now everyone looked at the snowman, "What did you say?" Kristoff asked as Elsa was too stunned to speak.

"Has Anna come back from her late night ride?" Olaf repeated cheerfully.

Kristoff and Elsa looked at each other, "Olaf, Anna is not here…and what do you mean night ride?"

"I saw Anna go into the stables and then I saw her exit the stables with Pharis; when I was outside looking at the stars. It was such a nice out before the clouds started coming in" Olaf said smiling, however his smile fell when he saw no one else is smiling.

Elsa rubbed her face and looked at her creation again, "Ok why did you not stop her from leaving if you saw her?"

"I tried to wave to her, and I even tried to call out to her but she looked like she wanted to be alone. Besides at first I did not know it was her…she was dressed in a black cloak."

"So how do you know it was her?" Kristoff asked nearly glaring at the snowman.

Olaf looked away, "Because once I saw Pharis, I knew it had to be Anna…"

"Ok Olaf," Elsa spoke again this time she stepped down off the throne, and knelt to be at the snowman's level, "this is very important. Did you see where Anna had gone?"

Olaf thought for a moment, "No. I just saw her leave the area and ride away from the palace…is Anna in trouble?" Olaf asked as he thought about his friend.

Elsa bit her lip and stood up. Kristoff thought off the snowman's words, and also about the events that had taken place since their argument, "Wait a minute." He muttered and more heads looked toward him, "I think I know where she went."

"Where?" Elsa asked.

"The trolls. My family." Kristoff stated, "After our fight, she went to your parents, now what if she went to see them. To talk to them?"

Elsa looked at the iceman and realized the brilliance of the idea, "You could be right and if not, they could still help us look for Anna."

"I'll get Sven hooked up!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"I'll get ready!" Elsa stated.

"Wait," they turned to see Kai stepping forward, "you cannot leave your majesty. Who is going to rule?"

Elsa saw everyone looking at them and glared, "She is my sister. She came after me when I left. I will not abandon her again. Now as for who is going to rule," she looked around the room and said, "Kai, you are going to cancel everything. If anyone gives you a hard time, tell them the order comes from me. Kristoff and I are leaving, we require no escorts. In the meantime everyone is to remain on lookout for Anna if she shows up."

"What if she shows up while you are gone?" One guard asked.

"Then ring the emergency bell." Elsa ordered.

"Can I come to?" Olaf asked.

"Of course."

"We are off to save Anna!" Olaf skipped out of the hall.

Elsa dismissed the staff leaving just her and Kristoff in the room, "Would she really run away?" Elsa asked quietly.

"I am sure she might have lost track of time. You know how she is." Kristoff said gently, however he did not believe his own words.

"No Kristoff, I do not know. I do not know my own sister." Elsa snapped. However seeing the wince she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I abandoned her. I left her. I slammed so many doors in her face that it is amazing her nose is not pushed all the way into her face."

They were silent as she paced in front of him and he allowed her silence to gather her thoughts, "I ran away from her…from them," she waved her hand as to refer to the palace, "she came after me. I have to go after her."

"I am not saying you shouldn't." Kristoff spoke finally with his arms crossed.

Elsa looked at him, "What if she does not want to come home?"

"She will come home; you came home." Kristoff pointed out.

Elsa glared, whether it was at him or meant for herself Kristoff did not know, "I only came back because that usurper convinced me to."

Kristoff winced, "Well you also came back for Anna."

Elsa fell silent and shook her head, "We should probably get going."

"Yes we should I suppose." Kristoff agreed and he followed the Queen out of the room.

Meantime Anna and Pharis were deep in the woods. After essentially blowing up at the trolls, Anna made Pharis canter through the woods. She had found that the speed really helped clear her head. When she was younger, it was obvious that she had a special skill for horseback riding. The proof was breaking the unbreakable, Anna grinned as she remembered how all she had to do was show Pharis that she could be trusted. Something the grown-ups did not understand. Ever since then, what Anna lacked in the 'academic' realm, she thrived in the 'sportsmanship' realm.

As they galloped through the woods, Anna began looking around and brought Pharis to a slow trot, "Ok I can do this."

Pharis turned his head to look at his rider. He loved the girl to death, and would do anything for her; however he can see that this trip was not exactly going as planned and he made sure she knew with a low grunt as to how he felt, "I know this is frustrating, but we are close." Looking around again she spotted what could be a trail, "Let's go this way, I am sure that Oaken's is around that way somewhere." Pharis shook his head, but proceeded to let his rider guide him in their journey.

After five minutes they arrived. Once again Anna tied Pharis's reins over the railing of the porch, "I will be back ok? Then we can rest here for a bit."

He leaned into her touch, trying to make her understand that she was not alone. He could tell that after the meeting with the trolls was starting to take its toll on her. She was starting to become more impulsive and slightly more closed off. He knew that his rider was changing, and it was not for the better. It took all of two minutes when she had come back out with two sacks. She placed them over the saddle and led him to the barn, "Oaken says that it is going to start to snow soon, we should probably rest here for the rest of the day. We can continue in the morning. I am sure with the lead that we have, no one is on our tail."

Pharis shook his head as she opened the door and then shut it, "However in the event that they are catching up to us, I told Oaken to tell them that he did not see us." Anna spoke to him.

Pharis huffed as Anna held out a carrot to him. He gave her a look and took it, "I know you do not approve, but thank you for being here." She hugged him and he brought his neck down to offer her the comfort she needs.

Pulling away she brought over a bucket and went to the back where she saw a small water spigot. Taking the handle she pumped it until water started flowing into the bucket. Stopping once it was full she brought it back over to Pharis, who started to drink from it. Settling down in the hay after she unburdened Pharis from his gear, she laid back and stared up the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she thought back to a few months ago. This was the same barn area where she found Kristoff, and as she reopened her eyes she found Pharis lying almost beside her made her think that this was almost the same position as well. Scowling at her memories she laid back on her back and continued to stare up at the ceiling. Her anger and annoyance started up again. How could he have not told her? They had spent all this time together, and yet nothing was said. Elsa too had a part in this and still she had said nothing.

"What were they thinking?" She asked out loud making Pharis open one eye to stare at her, "I am eighteen years old. Were they even planning on telling me, if I had not overheard them?"

No, her mind answered. You heard her, Elsa wanted this kept quiet. Suddenly there was a shooting pain in her heart and her head. Sitting up so quickly almost like being struck by lightning, Anna grabbed her head and then suddenly grabbed her chest. She stood up and the room swam before her eyes. Pharis stood up as well and looked alarmed at his rider. He let out a loud call and Anna looked at him, "What?"

Seeing something glittering in the corner, she ran over to it and she let out a gasp, "Oh no." Her hair was now almost fully platinum blond. The only part that you could see of her original color were small streaks and her eyes were a deeper and dark blue than they were before. Looking back at Pharis she suddenly heard a voice coming into her mind, "_Beware the Frozen Heart_…"

Anna felt her heart racing and immediately she looked at Pharis, "Change of plans," the horse cocked his head to the side as Anna rushed to gather their things she brought at the trading post, "we have to leave."

Pharis looked worriedly at his rider as there was a low rumble of thunder. Anna looked at the ceiling and paused. She met the horse's eyes, "We have to go. I need to leave." She saddled the horse up and let the sacks hang off the side, and against the horse's better judgment they burst open the door and took off into the thunder snow storm.

"Come on Sven!" Kristoff yelled urging the reindeer to go faster.

Elsa looked back and saw the ice trail and immediately her mind flashed to that night, where she sat on her mother's horse, with her father and Anna running next to them. She glanced over at Kristoff as she saw lightning in the sky, followed by a crack of thunder making all the passengers jump. Kristoff looked to Elsa, "What?! This is not my doing!" Elsa stated feeling insulted.

Kristoff shrugged and looked back toward the road, "I hope Anna is ok." Olaf said softly from the back.

"I am sure she is fine." Elsa said trying to sound positive, despite feeling the opposite.

"I didn't take you to be the optimistic type," Kristoff said smirking, "that was more or less Anna's job."

Elsa allowed herself to smile, "Where this comfortable with Anna when you first met?"

Kristoff frowned as he remembered their first meeting, "Actually I didn't meet Anna until later and when I did I was a jerk to her. I almost left her to finish the journey alone after my sled crashed."

Elsa sat in silence processing with what Kristoff told her. She snuck a glance at him and saw the guilty expression on his face. Like he still had not forgiven himself for allowing that selfish thought to cross his mind. However before she could speak the sky became a bit lighter once again and they had slowed down. Kristoff pulled Sven to a stop and they got out of the sled, "We are here." He said as Elsa got out of the sled followed by Olaf.

Elsa looked around. To her it was as if nothing had changed; and again her mind flashed back to that night. How she clutched on to her mother's dress as her father held her unconscious sister in his arms. Subconsciously she gripped on to the sleeve of Kristoff's coat as he started to take a step toward his home. He looked at her and saw something in her eyes that he did not question. All he did was grab her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they stepped into the open area, "Hello! It's me, Queen Elsa, Olaf, and Sven!"

The large boulders started to move and surround them, "Your majesty!" they all yelled in relief.

"Kristoff!" Bulda and Cliff yelled.

Everyone was shouting and talking at the same time and only became quiet when they heard a new and commanding voice, "Silence!" The area became dead silent as the old troll stepped forward toward the small group, "Your majesty." He bowed to Elsa.

"Please no need to bow." Once Pabbie was standing up straight she began, "Please I-we-need your help. It's Anna and-"

Pabbie held up a hand, "I know about the Princess; however we have much to discuss."

"We do not have time!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"I know we don't but it is imperative and something you have to be warned about." Pabbie said solemnly. Elsa and Kristoff shared a look and then looked back at the troll, who said, "You have to be warned about the Frozen Heart."


	6. Broken Bonds

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Five: Broken Bonds **

"Frozen heart?" Elsa asked stunned as she looked at the older troll, "Who has a frozen heart?"

Pabbie and the other trolls looked at the small group with pity. Kristoff seemed to get the message that they were not speaking and said, "Anna? It's Anna?"

Elsa's eyes darted back and forth between the trolls and Kristoff, "What? I didn't strike her with my magic this time!" She exclaimed as a few snow flurry started around them, "Her heart cannot be freezing. She can't be turning to ice again! I didn't strike her!"

"Your majesty, I am not talking about literal. This is not like the last time. This is more emotional, as I tried to explain to Anna." Pabbie said.

Olaf stepped forward and asked, "Anna was here?"

"Yes she was here; however when I had told her about her frozen heart, she ran." Pabbie said sadly looking at the Queen.

Kristoff and Elsa looked at each other as she asked slowly, "So Anna is still safe then?"

"For now…however not for long…there are things that even I do not understand." Pabbie explained.

"How do we save Anna?" Kristoff asked quietly looking at his surrogate grandfather.

The old troll looked at them with grave eyes and motioned them to sit. Kristoff and Elsa took to their knees as he said, "In order to understand that we have to look to the past…" Pabbie waved his hands and Elsa gasped at the colored smoke.

The last time she had seen this, she was eight and he was explaining how her power could grow. Along with the smoke there was low humming of voices, but they could make out the ominous words, "_Born of cold and winter air, and mountain rain combining! This icy force both foul and fair has a frozen heart worth mining!_"

"This is the chant of the ice harvesters." Kristoff said softly, as he saw the confusion on the Queen and the snowman's face.

The voices became suddenly a bit louder as it continued, "_Cut through the heart, cold and clear!__  
__Strike for love and strike for fear! There's beauty and there's danger here, split the ice apart! Beware the frozen heart..._" The last words were chanted over and over again as it drifted out.

"Anna's heart had started to freeze over," Pabbie stated before anyone could comment he amended slightly, "metaphorically it started when she was young; immediately after I had removed the ice and her memory from her mind." Elsa and Kristoff watched the smoke start to swirl and show images. Elsa recognized the people in the smoke; it was clear as crystal, almost like she was watching some type of movie.

They watched as the former King and Queen of Arendelle started to turn staff away and they watched as the gates were shut, "This was only the beginning…" Pabbie trailed off as they saw young Elsa turning younger Anna away, "Once she started getting shut out, this is where the small freeze started to occur."

"_Do you want to build a snowman?_" They heard young Anna's voice as they watched repeatedly of her knocking on Elsa's door.

Sadly each time she knocked and asked/sang the question, they also heard Elsa's, "Go away Anna." Kristoff watched as Elsa winced. The snowman looked at him then at his 'mother' and each grabbed her hand, offering some form of comfort; to which she smiled gratefully at them.

However as they watched, they also saw how lonely Anna was. They saw how she tried to not only seek Elsa's presence, but the King and Queen's as well, "_Please, Mama…Papa…can you give Elsa a break today? I really want to see her_." Kristoff figured Anna looked to be about eight or nine years old.

"_No! Now for the umpteenth time, your sister is busy with her academics; just like you should be! Now stop bugging your sister and go find something to do_!" The King scolded sternly.

Seeing the child's frown, the Queen stepped forward to offer her some comfort, "_Honey I know this must be hard-_"

"_No you don't know! How could you know?! I am just the spare right?! Is that why you spend so much time with Elsa and not me?!_" Anna yelled back pulling away from the Queen's comfort, "_It is bad enough Elsa hates me, when I have no idea what I did wrong, but you never spend time with me either!_"

"What?!" Elsa exclaimed as she watched the argument go back and forth between the King, Queen, and her sister, "She thought that?! How could she have thought that?!"

Pabbie looked at the young queen again, "You and your parents shut her out. What else was she supposed to think? Soon afterward she stopped coming to your door." He continued and they watched as the child became a teenager who: roamed the halls, rode on her horse, and hung out with the pictures on the walls, "While she never showed what she was feeling, the loneliness grew; as did the anger and disappointment. Your parents were seen less with her as they continued to try and help you with your powers."

Again Kristoff squeezed the queen's hand as he watched his younger girlfriend with a look that he did not like in her eye. He also saw the queen flinch as she saw her younger self isolating herself from her parents and even more so from Anna. She remembered how she purposefully placed herself on all sorts of different schedules so she did not have to be anywhere near Anna, "Then finally this is was technically sealed everything…" Pabbie again looked solemnly at the Queen as the smoke changed.

Elsa gasped as she watched her parents hugged her. They were telling her she would be fine, then she saw them saying goodbye to Anna, and then they were at the dock…boarding the ship…the ship that never made it to its intended destination. She watched herself fall apart after receiving the news…then she watched as Gerda approached Anna, "_Your Highness?_"

"_Gerda, please no formalities._" She saw her sister's face fall from its smile as she looked at the woman who became their surrogate mother, "_Gerda, what is it?_"

She watched as Anna collapsed from the news. Then she saw Anna in the courtroom, she was standing with a straight back, which was unfamiliar to both Elsa and Kristoff, as Anna faced the panicked council, "_I know that this is unsettling, but-_"

"_Unsettling?! Forgive me Princess, but where is your sister?! We need her!_" One of the men that Elsa recognized shouted at the fifteen year old.

"_He is right! She is the Queen now! We should be looking to her for guidance! Where is she?!_" Another man shouted.

"The nerve of them!" Kristoff growled out as he watched his girlfriend getting yelled at by lords, "Can't they see she is trying her best?!"

"She should not have had too," Elsa whispered looking away and trying to drown out the yelling of both the lords and her sister, "that was not her burden…it should never have been her burden…"

"It is ok Elsa." Olaf said. He had been quiet for a while, but he still held Elsa's hand, "I am sure it worked out…"

"_Look you pompous ignorant fools!_" Heads turned back to the smoke and both Elsa and Kristoff marveled at the authority that laced her tone, "_While you worry about the future, my __**sister**__and I are grieving! We lost our parents and are about to have a ceremony for them! They are not even buried yet and you sit here on your butts and dare to disrespect not only myself, but your __**queen**__?! You all disgust me!_"

"Wow." Elsa said rather impressed.

"Double wow." Kristoff agreed.

"_She is grieving and I can assure you that when she is better, she will have the answers. So right now I have a ceremony to help prepare for and you all can argue about stately dues and what not after the ceremony. Now good day gentleman!_" With that they watched and the smoke disappeared.

"They however did not stop hounding her. Even during the ceremony more people asked where you were and Anna had tried her best to deflect them the best she could." Pabbie stated.

Elsa swallowed the lump in her throat and took her hands out of Kristoff and Olaf's grasp and tucked her hands underneath her arms as she started to pace, "This is all great information, but how does this help Anna?" Kristoff asked as he cautiously watched the Queen.

Pabbie sighed and said in an ominous tone, "Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride."

"What?" Elsa asked looking at the old troll, "What fate? What bond? What does pride have to do with it?"

"Fate refers to Anna's frozen heart your majesty." Pabbie warned, "If her heart is allowed to freeze, she will become a shadow of her former self. She will no longer be the Anna you know."

"A shadow of her former self?" Kristoff whispered.

Pabbie nodded and then looked at Elsa, "The Anna you know is filled with hope and love…which is the equivalence of fire you could say. Her love is as strong as the ice magic in which you control. Hence why her love for you thawed your frozen heart which was driven by fear."

Elsa seemed to understand because she breathed out, "But her heart is freezing due to anger and her heart is freezing…that means her fire is dying out…and there will be nothing to reignite it. Is that what you are saying?"

Pabbie was silent for a moment as he closed his eyes and nodded, "Yes. I am afraid that is exactly was it means. She will be completely ruled by anger, just like someone else you know and who knows what could happen."

"Hans?" Kristoff asked looking thunderstruck, "She could never be like him!"

Elsa was lost in her thoughts to even register the comment as Pabbie responded, "And yet did you even first suspect Hans of being capable of doing what he did? You took her back to him, because you thought that he was her true love."

Kristoff looked away ashamed as he stood up and faced away from his family as he ran a hand through his hair, "So what about the bond?" Elsa asked finally coming out her thoughts.

"Pardon?" Pabbie asked.

"You said 'mend the bond torn by pride'. What bond are you talking about?" Elsa asked, "How does that help Anna?"

Pabbie shook his head, "I cannot help you on that. That is something for you to figure out."

"What?!" Kristoff, Elsa, and Olaf asked.

"You helped heal her heart the first time!" Olaf yelled, once again internally surprising Kristoff and Elsa at how mad the snowman was, "Why will you not help this time?" He asked a bit quieter.

"Because this is something that I can't help you with. You have to figure out the bond on your own. I told you what you needed to know, to help you figure that out."

Kristoff glared, "Ok fine, now where did Anna go? Did she say?"

"Not directly no." Pabbie said holding up his hands in a mock surrender fashion as Elsa and Kristoff approached him, "All she had told me before she took off was that if Elsa could just up and leave her, then she could just up and leave too."

"Up and leave?" Kristoff asked as he glare gave way to confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Elsa pondered over the words carefully. She never just up and left her sister. Not recently…not since…then it hit her. She spun around and her face paled. The clearing they were in was surrounded by dense trees, however under the small amount of light they had, she saw the faint outline of a mountain. However this was not just a mountain…it was, "The North Mountain." Elsa spoke gravely, "She went to the North Mountain."

"We have to get there and fast." Kristoff said as he started to guide them to the sled, "Thank you!" He yelled over to the old troll.

Just as Elsa was about to get in, Pabbie grabbed her arm and whispered urgently, "You do not have much time. If her heart should freeze, just like you said, there will be nothing to reignite it. Anna will be lost forever."

"How much time?" Elsa breathed out, "How much time do we have?"

"There is no saying. She could a day, or two. It depends on the level of her darker emotions. Just warning you that if you should reach her in time…do not try and fight with her…" Then he said, "Love can still thaw, only if the bond is healed."

Letting go of Elsa he stepped back and allowed her to enter the sleigh. No sooner than she was in, Kristoff forced Sven to into a run. Turning back around, Elsa saw her ice trail and mounds of rocks.


	7. Icy Interventions

Ok so apparently according to a review I had gotten: I had killed this story when I gave Anna powers…so now I am re-doing this chapter without it. I do have a bit of a different direction to takes this story, so yea that is what is happening. Without further ado here is the re-write of chapter six. Hope it is a bit more pleasing…

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Six: Icy Interventions**

Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven stopped at a running stream. They were halfway to the ice palace, but Kristoff saw that Sven needed a break and so they stopped. He looked over at the Snow Queen and saw her troubled look. He felt a tug at his heart as he recognized that look; it was a look that Anna wore many times when she was in deep thought about something. Olaf noticed this as well and gave Kristoff a curious look. Sighing Kristoff asked, "Penny for your thoughts your majesty?"

Elsa jumped at the sound of his voice and she glared at the ice master, "Why do I have to keep reminding you that you do not need the formalities when we are alone?"

"Force of habit I guess, anyway you did not answer my question." He pointed out with a light smile.

"Yea, what are you thinking about?" Olaf put in as he looked at her with curious eyes.

Elsa turned back to the water and glared hard at it as if it would give her the answers, "I am thinking about what Pabbie said."

"Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride." Kristoff repeated the old troll's warning slowly.

"Yes that." Elsa confirmed with a frown on her face, "However I cannot figure out what type of bond or how pride was involved…"

Olaf looked between them and at Sven who was still napping as he too pondered the words. He may not understand many things, but that did not stop him from thinking of a solution, "Well the bond could be your relationship with one another…"

The two people looked at the snowman and then at each other, "He could be right." Kristoff stated, "Also if you do not mind me saying, but you and Anna had the most fragile bond."

Elsa nodded and then pointed out, "That may be true; however your bond with her was slightly newer than mine was."

"But yours seemed to be more frayed." Kristoff countered.

Elsa glared, "Yes, but at least it was re-established until you had to bring up the accident. If it was not for that, then she may not have overheard the conversation!"

"Oh so this is my fault?! In all due respect, you should not have hidden it in the first place!" Kristoff yelled back.

Olaf jumped up as did Sven who was startled from his nap at the yelling, just as Elsa and Kristoff got to their feet, "Oh so now you think I am the villain in this story?! You think that you know her better than I do?!" Elsa yelled as ice started coming out from under her and froze the rest of the running stream.

"Well you did confess to me at the palace that you did not know her! You even said you abandoned her!" Kristoff shot back.

Elsa scoffed, "That is rich considering you left her in the hands of a deranged egotistic throne stealing bastard!"

"Oh really now?! We are really going to drag _**Hans **_into this? Ok so allow me to remind you that when you were running away for a second time, I believe you were going to trust him to take care of Arendelle and your sister!"

Elsa balled her hands into fists and returned fire, "Well then allow me to retaliate with the fact that apparently you were ready to abandon her in the woods after your precious sled was destroyed!"

Before Kristoff could retaliate Olaf jumped in front of them, "STOP IT!" Seeing that he had their undivided attention he started again, "Arguing is not going to help Anna. Apologize to each other." Seeing that neither of them was budging, he drew up his most commanding voice and said, "Now!"

Elsa and Kristoff looked at one another and immediately felt ashamed. Anna needed them and here they were arguing as to whose fault it was. Kristoff opened his mouth to apologize, but Elsa beat him to it as she sat back down in defeat, "I am sorry. I should not have snapped at you. I just can't seem to get relationships right."

Kristoff heaved a sigh and he also sat down again, "No I am sorry. I should not have said those things."

Sven and Olaf looked at one another. Sven nudged the snowman and then motioned to the mountain and gave him a look '_I think we should get moving_.' Olaf got the message and suggested, "Why don't we start moving? I think Sven is ready."

The Queen and Ice master looked at each other, "Are you ready?" Kristoff asked quietly as he stood back up.

However Elsa instead of answering, she countered questioned, "Is this how Anna felt? When she was coming to get me? Did she feel this helpless at not knowing what would happen?"

Kristoff sighed again and sat back down which caused Olaf and Sven to sit as well, "Actually she did not feel like this until you had Marshmallow throw us out of your palace."

Elsa winced at the memory. That had happened just after she had struck her sister in the heart, "I see."

"We will get her back Elsa. We may not have been there completely for her, and we may have made some mistakes, but between the four of us," Kristoff motioned to himself, Elsa, Olaf, and Sven, "her heart will thaw and we will have our Anna back."

Elsa couldn't help but smirk at his small speech, "Anna's optimism seemed to have rubbed off on you; that is something she would say."

Kristoff smiled gently, stood up, and held his hand out, "It looks like you know your sister a bit better than you think. Besides hanging out with her with as much time as I have, she was bound to rub off on me sooner than later."

Laughing slightly Elsa grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her up. Olaf smiled, "So we all friends again?"

"Yes we are. And we are sorry Olaf, we may have allowed our pride to get in the way a bit." Elsa said as Kristoff hooked Sven back into the sleigh. However as soon as she said that, it hit her. _Mend the bond torn by pride_…Pride, "That's it." She whispered, "That is it!" She then exclaimed loudly.

"What? What is it?" Olaf and Kristoff asked as they too hopped into the sled.

Elsa shook her head, "We have to get moving. I know how to mend the bonds! Go Sven!" Sven immediately took off at the Queens command.

"Seriously?!" Kristoff exclaimed at the sudden take off, "Why does everyone think they can order him to do something?! He is my reindeer!"

"You should probably be asking why he listens to other people besides you." Olaf answered leaning forward. Then turning to Elsa he asks, "So what were you saying?" Elsa smirked as they continued their race up the mountain, not totally realizing the danger ahead.

As Anna and Pharis approached the top of the mountain and hid behind the large wall of rock. She recalled the last time she was up there and quietly dismounted her horse. Giving a signal to Pharis to stay put, Anna peered around the large wall and what she saw astounded her. The magnificent ice palace was almost in ruins. Part of the railing that was attached to the staircase was shattered, and from her vantage point she could see that the balcony that overlooked the entire mountain was all but gone. Sighing she stepped out to get a better view of the damaged ice palace, "Well now what?" Anna asked out loud rather irate.

However there was one thing she had forgotten to take into account and it wasn't until she heard Pharis's panicked call and a loud angry roar that made her heart nearly stop, "Oh so you are still here?" She gulped as she faced a large snow-monster…Marshmallow.

"You not supposed to be here!" He roared at her and took a mighty swipe at her.

Anna rolled to the ground to dodge, "Ok can we talk this out?!" She yelled again as he attacked once more, "So that is a no?" He again swiped and tried to grab her, however she kept rolling and dodging. She would have tried to escape, but he kept blocking her every outlet.

Just then Pharis once again let out an alarmed call and this time it drew Marshmallow's focus off of Anna and on to the horse, "LEAVE!" He yelled.

Anna watched horrified. Pharis's reins somehow managed to get tangled in the small crevasse like areas of the rock wall. She watched almost feeling utterly helpless as everything seemed to move in slow motion. She saw Marshmallow raise his ice claw like hand, ready to take a mighty swipe at Pharis, she raised her hand beseechingly and yelled, "NO!"

"ANNA!" She heard voices. Then out of nowhere she saw a shot of blue that came out from behind Pharis, then all became eerily quiet.

Anna was panting and at the same time sweating, just as she saw Sven running forward passed Pharis and the now literally frozen Marshmallow, "Anna!" Kristoff, Elsa, and Olaf yelled as they quickly got out of the sleigh and ran over to her. However before they could reach her, Anna shakily got to her feet and bypassed them to run over to Pharis who was still trying to fight his hold, "Its ok," Anna said calmly despite feeling the opposite, "You are ok…" Once she managed to calm him down, she then looked at the snow-monster who was now frozen in a block of ice and then over at her 'saviors'.

"Anna?" Elsa said quietly as she stood up. She noticed her sister's hair was a much more prominent white, the only sign of her natural coloring was the strawberry blonde highlights. Elsa swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked to Kristoff and Olaf, who each gave her an encouraging nod, "Please…" She pleaded.

"I didn't ask for your help." Anna bit out, although not as harshly as she felt. She was still in shock at what had transpired between her and Marshmallow. Pharis nudged her and she started petting him, which helped calm her down, "You shouldn't be here." Anna said firmly looking back at them.

"And neither should you." Kristoff pointed out gently as he stood next to Elsa, "Anna, please we came to bring you home." He clarified as he watched her closely.

"What makes you think I want to go back?" Anna snapped, "Normally people run away to a mountain to be left alone. That is what you told me was it not?" She barked at him.

Olaf took a step forward this time and said, "Anna that is your frozen heart talking. You have to fight it. We love you, they were just trying to protect you."

"Olaf-" Elsa and Kristoff moaned out, knowing that was definitely the wrong thing to add.

Anna's eyes flared a darker shade of blue, "I do not and never did need protection!" She yelled, "I could have helped! I just wanted to understand!"

"I know Anna, I know and I understand now. I am sorry, I didn't know you went through so much; especially after Mama and Papa died…" Elsa trailed off.

Anna looked at her sister and suddenly she did not feel as cold or as spiteful as she had, "You know?" Anna whispered.

Kristoff, Olaf, and Elsa nodded, "Yes," Kristoff confirmed softly, "We saw how they treated you."

Elsa started to tear up as she looked at the devastated face of her sister, "That should have not been your burden to bare…and I am sorry." Seeing that Anna was not going to react just yet she continued, "I know you do not believe us, but at the time we thought it was for the best. Now I know we were wrong."

Anna started to feel warmer, but she still did not look at them. She continued to stroke Pharis, "If you knew, then why?"

"Why what?" Elsa asked as she took a step forward.

"Why did it take you so long to come out? To do your job instead of leaving it up to your fifteen year old sister?!" Anna yelled as she grabbed Pharis and stormed over to them.

Elsa was about to answer when they started to hear a cracking noise. Looking at the frozen ice block they gasped as they saw it cracking. Their faces paled and suddenly the ice shattered and Marshmallow let out a mighty roar as he turned to face them, "LEAVE!"

"Elsa stop him!" Kristoff yelled as he quickly unhooked Sven and they ran over to them just as Marshmallow took a mighty swipe which resulted the sleigh to be tossed over the cliff.

Elsa took a step forward and said with as much authority as she could, "STOP!" Marshmallow paused in his movement and stared at her, "Now stand down!"

There was silence and he let out another roar, "NO! You hurt me! You suffer!"

"Way to go sis. Nice job protecting me." Anna said sarcastically as she patted her sister on the shoulder.

"Anna, now is not the time." Elsa stated as they started to back away from the raging snow-monster. She wanted to use her magic, but then she remembered when she last used her magic in the palace. Images of the faces of the scared guards and Hans's voice came to her, "_Don't be the monster they fear you are_!" She had almost killed them…

Anna looked at her sister incredulously not seeing the inner turmoil, "Yea because we had so much time to discuss things in the past." Anna fired back harshly, "Now we are all going to die."

Before Elsa could retort, Kristoff intervened, "Might I suggest we go inside…you know where it is semi-safer?"

Before Anna could say something back, Marshmallow let out another roar. Seeing that neither her sister nor Kristoff was doing anything, she mounted Pharis, "Anna?! What-" Elsa started as she saw Pharis rear back, but Anna quickly recovered.

"As much as I hate you all right now, I love living more. Now get on!" Elsa hesitated at Anna's extended hand and Anna heaved a frustrated sigh, "Look you want **me** to trust **you** again right?! The way that will even have a chance of happening is if **you** start showing **me** some trust!" Elsa grabbed her sister's hand and soon she found herself on Pharis, "Kristoff grab Olaf and we are going in the palace!"

"What-?"

"Come on!" Anna yelled and she kicked Pharis and led him up the stairs. Soon Kristoff and Sven followed, slipping and sliding all the way up. When they finally reached the door, Anna turned to Elsa, "Quick make like a barricade or something to hold him back!"

Elsa looked at her sister and then back at her creation. Closing her eyes she allowed her magic to burst out creating a wall of ice. She heard Marshmallow's mighty roar and the slamming of the large ice doors, "Now make another barricade!" Anna yelled over the echoing of Marshmallow's roars.

"But Anna I think-" Kristoff started saying.

"Uhm…he broke out of the ice block. Did we suddenly forget about that?" Anna shot at him before he could speak.

Olaf sighed seeing that Elsa was hesitating, "She is right. I know he is my brother and all but he is not too happy with us right now."

Elsa bit her lip and allowed her magic to flow once again creating an ice layer in front of the door, "There." She said satisfied.

"We should be safe for now." Anna said for once almost sounding normal.

Kristoff, Elsa, Olaf, Sven, and Pharis looked at her, "Well seeing as we are stuck here, we should probably you know talk." Kristoff suggested.

Anna looked at them, and sighed feeling suddenly drained, "Not right now."

"Anna," Olaf tried this time hoping that she would at least listen to him, "we are going to be in here for a bit. Just hear them out…please."

"No. Not right now. Just please. Leave me alone." Anna stated firmly and started up the stairs that led to the balcony. Pharis looked at his rider's friends and chose to follow her.

Elsa looked at faces of Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven. Then she saw Anna's retreating figure and decided that enough was enough. Being gentle was not getting anywhere, so she decided to take a leaf out of Anna's book and be firm and out right. Straightening her posture and calling forth all of her queenly demeanor she went up the steps and after her sister. Anna was going to get this intervention whether she wanted it or not.


	8. Icy Consequences

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Seven: Icy Consequences **

As soon as Elsa entered the room, she paused. Her plan was to be direct and make Anna listen; however seeing Anna standing in the middle of the room looking slightly horrified made her gulp in uncertainty, "Oh Pharis..." She heard Anna say to her horse, "This is my fault..."

Elsa watched as Anna sighed heavily and the stallion nudge her sister. In the little light in the room, she noticed that white of her sister's hair was fading slightly as Anna pet the horse sadly, "So think this was something else she tried hiding?" Elsa winced at the heavy implication. Taking a deep breath, she coughed.

However Anna did not turn around as she said, "I should have known you wouldn't listen. You never did."

"Please don't shut me out again." Elsa pleaded as she raised her hands, "I don't want to fight with you."

Anna turned around at this, "Well I don't want to talk with you." Anna responded, however even as she said that, she knew it wasn't entirely true. It was if the fight in her was weakening as she just stared into the hurting eyes of her sister.

"Then the least you could do is listen to me." Elsa stated firmly refusing to back down as Anna took a seat in the middle of the room trying to avoid the ice spikes. Pharis also sat down watching Elsa warily, "Do you remember what you said to me? In this room?"

Anna looked at her sister and sighed, "Elsa a lot of things were said in this room. What's the point?"

Elsa nodded back, "True, but one thing sticks in my mind. Do you know what that is?" Anna looked at her curiously so Elsa responded to her own question, "For the first time in forever, I finally understand."

Anna just looked at Elsa, "That's it? You 'understand'?" She made air quotes around the word.

Elsa approached her and sat down in the middle of the disaster area. She internally winced as Anna scooted a bit further away, but also was relieved when she saw that Anna was willing to listen, "Yes, there was also something else that you said: 'For the first time in forever, I will be right here'." Elsa looked deeply in Anna's still slightly dark blue eyes, "You said that to me Anna. You promised me that you would be there, but honey you were always there for me. You never left me, despite me telling you to."

Anna sighed and got up followed by Pharis. Elsa watched as Anna crossed her arms, "You are right. I never left, but I finally did and you came after me."

"What are you talking about? Of course I would come after you." Elsa spoke her voice pained as she stood up, not following Anna's train of thought.

Anna wasn't looking at Elsa, but chose to pet Pharis, "The fight we had during your coronation ball. Remember what you said to me?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes at Anna in deep thought. So much happened that night, that it was all one big mess in her mind after she revealed her powers that she genuinely did not quite remember the fight word for word; only that she did not bless the marriage, "Truthfully? Not word for word."

"I told you I couldn't live the way we were living, you shutting me out and having the gates closed. You responded with: 'Then leave'." Elsa winced as Anna mimicked her voice. In fact as Anna said it, the fight did come back to her, "So now I leave and suddenly you care? Or is it that you are feeling guilty?" Anna asked looking at Elsa.

Elsa stood up again and said, "Both." Anna raised an eyebrow and just stared at her, "You are my little sister. Of course I love and care about you. I isolated myself for you. All I wanted was to protect you and do right by you."

However instead of feeling better, Anna was starting to get mad, "Shouldn't you have at least talked to me about it instead making decisions for me?!"

"Yes we should have, in which case you are right. However listen to yourself! You are being a hypocrite!" Elsa fired back matching Anna's temper.

"How so?" Anna demanded as she stepped away from Pharis and towards Elsa.

"You left! You ran away just like I did."

"For a completely different reason! To show I am more than capable of protecting myself! You ran because you made a mistake. A little bitty mistake!"

"Anna, setting of an eternal winter is not little. It is major and you know it."

"Well it didn't need to happen if you would not have bottled it up for thirteen damn years for something that was completely my fault!" Anna finally yelled out.

Elsa was stunned into silence. She thought this was her fault? That made no sense, "You think this is your fault?"

Everything that Anna was feeling came out and she finally felt the pressure in her head and heart releasing as she started yelling, "I know it is! Gods you think I was pissed that you kept my memory of our real childhood and the accident from me?! You think that is what all of this was about?! Elsa that was only like half of it!"

"I-I don't understand..." Elsa stuttered totally off guard.

"Really because I thought you said and I quote: 'for the first time in forever, I understand'." Anna stated a bit sarcastically.

Elsa was getting annoyed and it was starting to show...literally. Frost started to cover the ice walls around them, but neither sister took any notice, "So then enlighten me please." Elsa bit out through clenched teeth.

"If I have to spell it out for you, then it is not worth it. I think this conversation is over." Anna stated firmly although a bit sadly. It was then Elsa noticed her sister's hair was less white and more of her normal strawberry blonde hair, "Elsa, please go back home, your life awaits and Arendelle needs you." Anna finished as she faced away from her sister to look at the scenery.

"Wait what?" Elsa asked stunned as the frost started retreating, "You think I am just going to let you stay here alone?"

Anna shook her head and then face Elsa again, "I am not alone. I have Pharis and Marshmallow...well for the most part. Besides everything we have said brought things in a new perspective for me. Proof is in the hair." She then looked at an icicle and saw how her hair was now like it was before the day before: predominantly strawberry blonde with white highlights.

"What?! No! That is out of the question! You wouldn't leave me, and I am not leaving you! Hear me?! We are not leaving you!" Elsa yelled.

Anna was starting to get frustrated, "I know you mean well, but leave me be Elsa. Please. You, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven and all of Arendelle will be better off in the end." Anna finished quietly.

"Anna how can you think that?!" Elsa demanded furiously, "We would not be better off! Now I demand you to tell me why you think everything that has happened has been your fault!"

Before Anna could retaliate further there was a loud crash, yelling, and a roar. Elsa and Anna spun around just as Sven came bounding into the room with Kristoff and Olaf on him, "We have a problem." Kristoff said just as another angry roar echoed through the palace.

The ground started shaking as there was pounding and crashes coming up the stairs, "Yea, Marshmallow is a bit mad…" Olaf said looking behind them towards the door, "And he is coming this way."

No sooner did Olaf say that, Marshmallow burst into the room with a deaf defying roar. They all backed away as he stormed over to them. Elsa summoned her magic and created another wall of ice, but he managed to mash through it with ease, "LEAVE!" He roared at them.

Anna looked behind them and saw they were drawing ever closer to the balcony. Elsa was trying harder to create stronger ice walls, but Marshmallow was breaking them just as fast as she was creating them. Anna could see that they were running out of room and getting closer to the edge, "Oh we are so done for." Kristoff stated. Then he turned to Anna, "Anna, I love you. I really do and I am so sorry for everything."

Anna was not paying attention to a word Kristoff said, nor did she hears Olaf sighing in admiration and his declaration how he enjoyed their friendship and summer. All she could see was Elsa trying harder to fend off the snow-monster. Suddenly it hit her! She could see one of many memories that were taken from her. Looking behind them, she looked down and saw the drop into the canyon and then she looked out, she could see the entrance where the stairs started. Thinking quickly, she knew that Marshmallow needed to be distracted. Heart racing she saw the ice spikes and quickly broke a rather large one off, "Anna what are you-?" Kristoff started to ask as she broke another large piece off and handed it to him.

"I am sorry to Kristoff. I am sorry for the way I reacted, and while it might take me a bit to trust you and Elsa again, I need to know…do you trust me?" Anna asked.

"Yes. Always." Kristoff stated. Sven stood at attention and Olaf saluted her.

"You can count on us." Olaf stated.

"Good. First thing. Do not back up any further." Looking behind them she saw their faces pale slightly and they nodded.

Then Anna approached Elsa, "Elsa-?"

"Ok Anna, now is not the time for talking." Elsa said her voice strained as she was still trying to inhibit her snow-monster, although she wondered why Anna was not panicking any more.

"How much time would you need to create a slide?"

"A slide?" Elsa asked not looking at her.

"Yes the thing we used to play on. In the ballroom?" Anna asked, "You made it out of ice and we would land in snow piles…remember?"

"Now is not the time to go down memory lane Anna." Elsa stated.

Anna groaned in frustration and shook her head, "I am not trying to! I am telling you to make a damn slide while Kristoff and I distract him so we can slide down it!"

"Are you crazy?!" Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf shouted while Sven and Pharis looked at her.

"Does anyone else have any other brilliant ideas?!" Anna asked. Not receiving an answer she then said, "Didn't think so!"

Looking at Pharis she saw that he was still panicking and immediately she made him look in her eyes. Once the horse saw a look in his rider's eyes, he knew that he had nothing to be afraid of…yet at least. Seeing that Pharis understood her look, she mounted him and whispered in his ear, "Remember how we pretended to be knights and we would have jousting tournaments with the scarecrows?" Pharis nodded and all Kristoff could do was stare at her in wonderment, "Well now let's see how that and all our trick training paid off." Then she looked at Kristoff, "You go left and I will go right!" She yelled over the violent roar, "Elsa as soon as we distract him, you make the slide!"

"Anna-" Elsa groaned out.

"I trust you Elsa." Anna said. Elsa did not need to look at Anna to see the faint spark in her eyes. Elsa closed her eyes as that night came back. They played on a slide she had created that night, Anna leaping from snow pile to snow pile. She slipped, hitting her sister in the head. Then here she could feel the panic rising as she heard Anna begin to count, "One," Elsa took a deep breath, "Two," Elsa reopened her eyes, new determination beginning to bubble, "Three!" Out of the corner of her eye she could Sven running left and then Pharis running right. She spun around to face the balcony just as Kristoff and Anna hit Marshmallow in the legs with their icicles.

Elsa focused her magic and allowed it to flow out of her hands. It shot diagonal, and out into the snowy embankment where the stairs were at, "ANNA LOOK OUT!" She heard Kristoff's voice.

Her heart froze as she turned back to see one of the ice pillars falling and Anna charging forward without any time to take a different course of action. However Elsa saw Anna's eyes narrow and giving a command, she watched in amazement as Pharis jumped over the pillar, "Elsa hurry up!" Anna yelled seeing her sister had stopped, "I do not know how much longer we can distract him.

Elsa turned back to the slide and saw that she was only half way away from the balcony, "I do not know if I can!" Elsa yelled.

"Come on Elsa! You built this palace in what? Two minutes you had told me?! You can do it!" Anna yelled back as she and Kristoff tried to keep Marshmallow away from the Snow Queen.

With a new state of mind, Elsa continued her work. She tried to block out the noise the best she could with her magnificent creation crumbling around her, "Are you done yet?!" Kristoff yelled, "Because we are out of ideas!"

"Yes!" Elsa yelled, "Anna! Done!"

"Kristoff go!" Anna yelled over to him.

"What?! No you go first! Elsa and I will continue to distract him! You go!" Kristoff yelled back over to her as Marshmallow took another swipe at them.

"You are closer! You go!" Anna yelled charging at Marshmallow to confuse him.

Before Kristoff could respond, Elsa created another wall of ice between Kristoff and Marshmallow and then between Anna and Marshmallow on the other, "Go Kristoff! She is right! You are closer!"

Kristoff and Olaf looked at the Queen and Anna. She gave him a light smile and he returned it, "Ok."

"Once I lower the wall, you make a run for it." Elsa ordered.

"Right. See you at the bottom." Kristoff said.

"Good luck!" Olaf waved. Elsa lowered the wall and Kristoff made Sven run for the ice slide and once they hit it, they were gone.

Now it was just Anna, Pharis, and Elsa against Marshmallow. Anna and Pharis were on one side Marshmallow was in the middle, and Elsa was closer to the slide. Marshmallow looked between the two and let out an aggravated roar, "Elsa go!" Anna yelled.

"No!" Elsa yelled back and created another ice containment, but Marshmallow kept breaking it, "I will hold this and you go! Quickly!"

"NO! I got us into this! This is once again my fault! Now let me fix it!" Anna yelled. Pharis reared back as ice shards were flying around.

All around them the room was starting to crumble and suddenly there was a loud crack. They watched in slow motion as another large pillar toppled over causing a large crack in the floor.

"Anna please! None of this was your fault! Not any of it!" Elsa yelled, "Now go! I do not know how long I can keep this up!"

"But if I had not been so selfish we would not be here!" Anna yelled, and for some reason Elsa knew that this was not the only event that Anna was talking about.

"Really you want to talk about this now?!" Elsa yelled in aggravation, "Just go Anna and let me handle-"

But suddenly at that moment, Marshmallow pounded his fists to the floor causing the large crack in the floor to give way and suddenly the ice palace was literally coming apart as the large hole appeared causing Marshmallow to fall through it, "ELSA!" Anna yelled as she watched the distance between her and her sister get larger due to her side crumbling the fastest.

"ANNA!" Elsa yelled. She was frightened and now of all times her powers would not work, she was frozen…with fear.

The snow in the room, blinded her and the sounds of destruction were all around. She had no way of knowing her sister and the horse were safe. She could feel the floor on her end beginning to give way and knew she had to get out, but she could not move. Her body was paralyzed, that is until she heard a yelled, "YA!"

Then out of the blinding swirling snow and destruction she saw Anna and Pharis leap over the hole and made it to the other side, and before she could react her sister grabbed her and through her over the horse and in break neck pace, they ran down the ice slide. However Elsa looked behind them and watched as her majestic creation was coming apart…along with the ice slide and it was breaking apart fast, "Anna…" Elsa began to speak while poking her sister on shoulder.

Anna turned her head and saw what her sister was seeing, "Ah crap!"

Looking forward she could see Kristoff's pale face, Olaf yelling something, and Sven burying his head in the snow. Everything to Anna went quiet and she estimated the distance. Closing her eyes she focused on one thing and one thing only. When the moment came she yelled, "Pharis! Jump!"

"What?!" Elsa yelled, but did not have time for anything else. The horse narrowed his eyes and listened to his rider. Just as he could feel the slide breaking beneath him, he leapt forward just as it fell apart. Kristoff and Olaf watched as the princess, the Queen, and the horse went airborne and then watched as they made a magnificent landing right in the snow.

Anna made Pharis slowdown to a walk and brought him back around to where Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven were. No one moved and no one made a sound as they watched the last bit of the ice palace disappear into the chasm below.


	9. Icy Revelations

So before we see what happens to our favorite characters I have a few announcements to make so please _**do not skip this**_:

**Firstly**: for those of you who followed my other Frozen story 'Frozen on Facebook', I have deleted it. The reason for this is because it was placed on a community called: Reportable Offense. This area in the community is run by a group who calls themselves: Eliminator. So yea…you can thank them that I am back to being 'dark and twisty'. Personally I think that was a load of trash, but I would rather not get reported by these people and taken off of fanfiction…because then where else would I go to rant out feelings in a _**FICTIONAL WORLD! **_

Not only that if you go to the search bar and just type in 'Facebook', you see so many of those types of stories. So again I have no clue as to what the problem was; so yea if you have any questions please PM me and I will be more than happy to attempt to answer them, or if you have any concerns about your story, also PM.

**Secondly**: I just wanted to thank anyone who has followed and also gave favorites for that story, and along with this one as well. You guys are incredibly awesome so you all get a virtual chocolate chip cookie!

**Lastly**: As per what was mentioned in the beginning, if this chapter is slightly depressing; I apologize. But as you can see I am not really in that great of a mood so I am 'transferring' my feelings into the chapter. I will try and keep it relatively decent.

So without further babbling and what not read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Eight: Icy Revelations**

They were all sitting in a small clearing, the adrenaline finally wearing off after Marshmallow's rampage at the Ice Palace. Oh the Palace, Elsa thought mournfully as she looked at the direction they had just come from. They were now half way down the mountain; however it was normally about this area that it could have been seen, but now it was in ruins in the bottom of the canyon…where Marshmallow was trapped as well. Elsa saw Kristoff looking at her along with Olaf and Sven. She knew that Kristoff had admired her ice palace. Anna had told her that he was practically in tears when he first laid eyes on it, "Are you ok Elsa?" Olaf asked quietly.

Elsa saw Anna perk up a bit at his question out of the corner of her eye. She sat a bit further from them along with her horse, "Yes I am ok. We **all** made it out ok with very minimal injuries at best." That is she knew that Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, and herself was fine. Whether Anna and Pharis were ok was a different story.

When they had started moving she noticed that Pharis was shaking slightly each time he took a step, and Anna, who had been leaning heavily on Pharis, had started holding her shoulder. They had tried to talk to Anna about both her and Pharis's well-being, but her sister kept brushing them off. In the end Elsa finally managed to at least get her to agree for a break, since they were all feeling the weight of what had just occurred. Elsa watched as Anna got up followed by Pharis who had to help her a bit. Elsa made a move to follow, "Wait," Kristoff said reaching out to grab her arm, "we should leave her be."

"What? Why?" Elsa asked looking at him and then turning to watch her sister's retreating form.

"Because we went to her, now we have to let her come to us." Kristoff said, "The more we push, the harder she will push back."

Elsa continued to watch her sister mournfully, but she took a deep breath and shook Kristoff's hand off, "Alright then. What would you suggest? How do we approach her?"

"We don't." Kristoff said slowly as he watched Anna sit back down along with Pharis, "That is again pushing."

"So our option is to do nothing?" Elsa asked incredulously.

"That is what I just said." Kristoff countered back.

Olaf and Sven watched them, heads going back and forth. The snowman and the reindeer could tell that they were about to get into another fight, "No. I am not just going to sit back while my sister is in some sort of pain. I've done that for thirteen years, I am _**not**_ going to do it again." Elsa said furiously.

Kristoff shook his head and turned his back on the Snow Queen while running a hand through his already messy blonde hair. He then whipped back around and tried to keep his voice down while saying, "Elsa you are being incredibly stubborn! She does not want to talk to us about what just happened. She does not want us to comfort her. She is working through her own issues." Looking deeply into her eyes he finished with, "We already let her know that we are here for her and we are not going to leave her. That is all we can do. The rest is up to her."

"That is not good enough." Elsa growled back looking into his brown eyes, "Who knows what she is planning next. Who knows what she is thinking now? How do we know that as soon as we get back to Arendelle she will not take off again?" Before he could respond she held up a hand to silence him and continued, "She told me that all of this was her fault. I cannot just sit by and let her think that."

Again just as he was about to speak, Elsa turned her back on him and walked cautiously over to her sister. Kristoff sighed furiously and sat down by Sven and Olaf, "So you are not going over there?" The snowman asked.

Kristoff shook his head as Sven nudged his friend with his antlers. Kristoff looked at his friend and gave the reason, "Because I guess it is up to them now. I said my peace at the palace. Anna seemed to have forgiven me and now it is her turn to forgive Elsa and herself."

"So then that means you know what Anna's pride problem is?" Olaf asked the ice harvester curiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kristoff asked as he motioned with his head to the two sisters in the clearing. Olaf and Sven shook their heads, so Kristoff sat back and explained. As he was explaining he was watching the two sisters, and he prayed that they would reconcile soon so he could have his family back.

As Elsa approached the clearing, she once again had a whole little speech planned in her head as to what she was going to say to her sister. However when looking her little sister, that whole speech went out the window. So before she could say anything her sister spoke up first, "You know it is ironic don't you think?"

"Eh…what is?" Elsa asked knowing that even Anna was not looking at her; the question was direct towards her way.

Anna and Pharis both snorted, "I was the one always seeking you out, and you slammed doors in my face. I race up the north mountain to bring you home, you set Marshmallow on us. Now here we are and the roles are reversed. I am like slamming doors in your face, and yet you keep returning. I run away to the north mountain, and yet you follow." The tone Anna used was not harsh; however it was not gentle either. It was as if she was stating facts that she read in a book; completely casual, yet Elsa winced anyway.

Deciding to follow some of Kristoff's advice, she did not have Anna elaborate any further. She did look at the stallion and decided that Anna's more pleasant and slightly happy/normal demeanor came from him. So she sighed and said, "Rather interesting name he has. Did you think of it or did he come with it?" Elsa motioned to the horse in question as Anna now looked at her curiously.

Elsa could feel Anna's eyes analyzing her, almost as if trying to decipher the motive behind the question. Seeing nothing, she looked at Pharis who also looked at her. Elsa found it slightly unnerving as if it looked like they were having a silent conversation; that is until Anna responded with, "I named him."

"Oh that is cool," Elsa winced at the bad pun, so did Anna in fact as she tried to hide a smirk, "any particular reason for that name?"

Anna smiled as she looked at her horse, "The name actually comes from one of my favorite books I liked to read when I was younger. Pharis is one of the main characters in the story and he is a heroic archer. So that is what I decided on calling him." Anna explained as she pet his nose affectionately.

Elsa nodded and decided to keep going with this route about talking about the horse, "Uhm…the morning after you ah…took off…Daniel came in and told us that Pharis was missing." Anna stopped petting the horse and looked at her sister who stumbled over her words…much like she did when she was nervous. Somehow this unnerved her as Elsa tried to continue with her question, "Anyway he mentioned that you tamed him yourself. How did that happen exactly?"

Anna did not answer right away and Pharis was also looking at the Queen suspiciously. He let out what Elsa suspected was a type of growl; however this caused Anna to look sharply at him, "Hey. Relax ok. It's fine." She pet him gently and he gave her a look, "Be nice." Anna said sternly. He shook his head and then led it down on his hooves.

Turning back to her sister she said, "Sorry, he has a slight attitude problem when he thinks people are digging into something they shouldn't."

"So I offended him?" Elsa asked raising an eyebrow looking at the horse. She never saw such a creature with highly developed intelligence, as this one.

"In a matter of speaking, he still doesn't like to be reminded of the past." Anna said looking at her companion, "It was not really a good time when he came to our family; hence the major trust issues."

"Oh…" Elsa said sadly, but then she looked at Anna, "But he let me ride him a few times back there." She motioned to the direction of where the ice palace stood.

"You heard about that huh?" Anna asked groaning.

Elsa looked at her sister, "I tried to get to know you better when Daniel, Kai, and Gerda mentioned how close you are to Pharis. I am sorry if it is not my business."

Anna waved her off, "No it's actually ok. I am just surprised you did not hear about any of that is all."

"Being locked in a room tends to make you drown out the events happening around you." Elsa said as a response, although she internally winced seeing the grimace on Anna's face.

Once Anna composed herself, she shrugged and responded, "I suppose it would."

Elsa took notice of her sister's hair in the early sunset and she could see that her hair was almost back to normal. However she knew that despite the physical appearance might be the same, there was still the emotional problem of her sister's 'frozen heart'. Elsa just remained quiet as they allowed their words to settle around them. Now it was time to take Kristoff's other advice and allow her sister to open up on her own. She allowed herself to sit down once she was sure that she was not going be sent away nor was she suffocating her sister and the horse.

Anna sighed. She did not know what made her speak, but just looking at her sister made her want to open up just a bit. Besides it was not like Elsa was asking for much, "If I remember correctly, Pharis was given to father as a gift from one of our allies or something like that." It did not go unnoticed by Elsa how Anna talked about their father with slight distain, however there was an underlying tone of pain as well, "Anyway the stable hands had tried to tame him, but Pharis was not having any of it. I had overheard father say that if they would not be able to tame Pharis, then we would have put him down."

Elsa watched as Anna's expression became furious and devastated. She then looked at the horse in question and noticed how he had begun to shake, to which in response Anna immediately petted him, "Anyway I had heard about it, and fought with father about his decision. I had wanted to try taming him."

"How? You were only ten." Elsa said astounded not being able to get the picture of her ten year old sister taming such a wild horse.

Anna rolled her eyes, "There you go again. Underestimating me. Really sis?"

"Sorry, please continue." Elsa said wincing as her sister's dark blue eyes gleamed in the sun.

Anna shook her head trying to clear it of the rising annoyance she felt, "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"No really it is ok. I was out of line." Elsa said earnestly trying to ease her sister's feelings.

They sat in silence for a bit, waiting to see who would be the one to start up the conversation again. However Elsa could tell that her sister was either shutting off again or she was loss in the past somewhere. Before Elsa could try and break it again, Anna finally broke it first, "I was never good in my classes." Elsa looked at her sister in confusion, "I was not an academic like you were. However that did not mean I did not like to read."

Anna became quiet again, and Elsa started to wonder what this had to do with Pharis's fate, "I was in the library when I had seen you for the first time since you-I-uhm…" Anna paused again and took a deep breath, "we were well…separated. I wanted to approach you, but it hurt Elsa. I mean I had stopped knocking on your door by that point." Elsa winced as she knew around the time Anna stopped knocking. It had hurt too much to even begin to think about, "So I had ran. I ran from the library before you even noticed I was there. Normally I would have hidden in the portrait gallery, but I just needed to get out of the palace. It was a prison for me Elsa, a real prison. That is how I found myself at the stables and I overheard the conversation…father was going to have Pharis put down the next day if they could not tame him…"

Elsa watched as Anna once again started to pet Pharis, he sighed heavily as Anna continued, "After I saw everyone leaving the stables, I began ranting to him about everything. Everything that had begun with us being best friends, to you shutting me out to which I had not even a clue. Well now I know and he also knows about that too, so that is why he is also mad at you and doesn't really take too kindly to you. I mean it's not like he takes kindly to strangers, and he loves me. I am the only one allowed to take care of him, because well I saved him, and he trusts me and…wait what?"

Elsa would have laughed, in fact she was kind of laughing internally at Anna's sidetracked rant because this is how her sister should be. However once she really processed Anna's words that is when the internal merriment stopped, "You ran to the stables and uhm…vented to Pharis." Elsa said gently as she saw confusion on Anna's face.

"Oh right. Thank you. Yes well after the venting I started pleading to Pharis to be nice. I told him not everyone here was bad and I would prove it to him. So I opened his stall and-"

"Wait hold on; I do not understand." Elsa deadpanned. Anna winced as she remembered that her sister used the same tone when she had told her of the dreaded engagement, "You mean to tell me that you went into a stall of a horse that had not even been broken?"

Pharis's head jerked up and Elsa could swear that if looks could kill, the horse would have killed her already, "Ok uhm…let's refrain from using the 'b' word ok? He tolerates 'tame' not the other word…" Anna explained, "However yes I did. And at first it was a bit scary because he did rear back and tried to well crush me…" Pharis stopped glaring at the queen and looked sorrowfully at his companion, "but all I did was stay in one place, looked away, and held up my hand. He had calmed down a bit, sniffed it, and well next thing I knew I was petting the 'untamable' horse." Anna finished proudly while crossing her arms.

Elsa just looked at her sister, she was still confused at not understanding what had taken place, "That is it?"

"Yup." Anna said popping the 'p', "I showed him trust and no ill-will, besides the stall door was opened and if he wanted to run, I would have let him run." She again looked at Pharis, "That night I stayed in the stables and we or rather I talked. I told him everything about the castle and about everyone again. Then in the morning I was found. It was hilarious, because father demanded that I get out but I said no."

"You what?!"

"Yup, I defied father. I told him I was not leaving unless we kept Pharis. He did not like that tried to order one of the guards to come get me, but Pharis would not let any of them near the stall or to me." Anna said laughing, "Not even father could get close enough to get me."

Elsa just stared at her sister like she had five heads, "You defied Papa?!"

"Yup." Anna said popping the 'p' again, "I told him that if he wanted me out then we would practice the skills I learned in negotiation class one-oh-one."

"What?" Elsa asked still marveling in the fact of her sister's sassiness.

Anna paused thinking for a moment and said slowly, "I believe my exact words were…" She paused again and then winced as she stole a glance at her sister.

Elsa, upon seeing the wince, reached out and hesitantly grabbed her sister's hand. She could feel the strawberry blonde tense up and was sure she was going to pull away, however nothing could describe the multiple feelings that went through her heart when Anna actually squeezed back, "What did you say?" Elsa asked quietly, trying not to ruin the moment.

Anna looked at Pharis and he gave her a nod. She sighed again and said, "I told him that from where I stood he had a few options. The first option was he could allow me to keep Pharis and he would be my responsibility. The second option was that he could allow me to see you," Anna looked away at Elsa as she sighed through her nose this time and then said something barely above a whisper.

It was so quiet that Elsa did not pick it up, "I am sorry Anna, what was that?"

"I said that his third option was that he could force you to see me and explain what your deal was and why we were not friends or sisters anymore. Those were his three and only three options." Anna said looking at her older sister, "So since the other two involved you, he had no choice but to accept the first option. After that I was grounded for a bit, and later I learned to take care of him. I went learned from the other stable hands how to take care of a horse…I also read a few books on the subject as well." She smiled at that part while petting the horse fondly.

Elsa just watched as her sister and the horse bonded some more. She could not help, but feel like she was an intruder on their moment, "Hey Elsa?"

"Uhm…yea?" She asked looking at her sister.

"How many times have you actually ridden a horse?" Anna asked.

Elsa thought for a moment and looked away, "This has been the most times I have actually 'ridden'. The first time was on mother's horse when we had to take to you to the trolls…" Elsa trailed off and she watched as Anna looked away, "The second time was when I was taken back to Arendelle. And the remainder of the times was with you." She added lightly and added what she hoped to be was a reassuring smile.

Anna lightly returned it, but then it fell as she stood up from Pharis and her sister. Pharis remained on the ground, seemingly asleep, as Elsa followed her sister and got up herself, "Anna, please talk to me."

"How can you I do not know…" Anna started to say, but then trailed off.

"How can I what?" Elsa asked gently, not wanting to scare her sister off.

"That!" Anna yelled while turning to point at her, "Be all that!"

"You just gestured to all of me…" Elsa stated flatly.

"Yea because that is what I mean! How can you be so understanding? So calm? So collected? So you?!"

"Again with the gesturing…Anna come on you are my sister. I know a bit what you are going through. I am calm on the outside, but on the inside I am freaking out right now, and as for me? Well I am your older sister so I have the right to try and protect you and keep you safe, but I am not even doing that right." Elsa explained her voice becoming firmer by the minute.

"You do not have to protect me! It is me who should be protecting you from me!" Anna stated again.

"What are you-"

"Just saying what I tried to say at the ice palace," Anna said cutting her off, "Everything was my fault because I was stupid and selfish! I wanted you to build that snowman! I woke you up for a stupid request! Just because I could not sleep! I made you use your powers that night! I made you try and catch me! I did not listen when you said to slow down, so therefore the accident? It was my fault! I caused it, not you! I ruined our bond." Anna stated bitterly, "I was the one that forced you into that self-induced exile for those years."

"Anna, it was not-" Elsa tried to cut in.

"No Elsa it was. Now let's keep adding to the list shall we? You wanted me to open up? Well this is me opening up. As for those years, I was again selfish. I just wanted to spend time with you, however I was blinded to see that you were also in pain. I was causing you that pain. I was probably also the reason you never had control of you powers sooner, because you probably kept worrying about hurting me again." Anna said once again her tone laced with self-hate, "And then at the coronation, I pushed you. I pushed Hans on you. I made you lose control, because I was so stubborn in my own happiness that I failed to see the pain you were in. I never let you explain, and had I talked to you in private like you wanted, none of that would have happened…"

Elsa wanted to stop her sister. She was thinking about that all wrong, and she wanted to tell Anna that more than likely she was just a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up by that point, however she could see that Anna needed this so she allowed her to continue, "And at the ice palace, the first time, I should not have pushed you again. You told me that you were not safe, and I should have been the one to bring you back. I should not have left you there. If I would have stayed…if I would have tried and gone back to you, then Hans and his men would not have attacked you…" By this point Anna was in tears…tears of sadness, guilt, and anger.

Elsa could not take it anymore. She went over to Anna and wrapped her arms around her little sister…something she should have been able to do for the last thirteen years. However Anna pushed her away and yelled, "How can you even consider comforting me when I just told you that I am guilty for everything?! How?!"

"BECAUSE NOT EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!" Elsa finally yelled.

This caused Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, and Pharis to jump and for Anna just to stare back mouth dropped. Snow started falling and swirling around them, before it became suspended in mid-air, "I was eight! I should have known better than a five year old about what we should and should not have been doing! I should have stopped you sooner from jumping off those damned mounds! As for the whole locked and slammed doors?! Papa and Mama both tried to convince me to see you! Anna, you think my problem was just with you?! It was with them too! I couldn't even _**HUG**_ our own parents!"

Now everyone was at full attention. Anna's mouth was hanging open and she could barely make out Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven's hesitant approach to them, however Elsa did not notice as she continued to rant, "As for that throne stealing bastard; that was again partially my fault because I had not showed you what love really looked like! I was too busy worrying about my powers to even begin to see what you needed! It was my fault that I was not there for you after Papa and Mama died, you should not have had any of those burdens! If I had been there for you, perhaps you would not have sought comfort in that bastard!"

Elsa was starting to run out of steam by this point as the suspended snow started to fall gently once more. Elsa looked at her sister now, dead in the eyes, and with her finger pointing right at her, "And you know what? As for me losing control? That was not your fault either. After suppressing my powers for thirteen years, I was essentially a bomb waiting to explode ok? Who the hell knows? I could have gone off on anyone! Kai, Gerda, you, or hell even some stuck up snooty ass prissy lord or duke! Anyone could have set me off like that!"

"But Elsa-"

"No Anna, no more ok? Perhaps yes you are to blame, however you cannot harbor all of it." Elsa said gently this time, "I learned that the hard way, and I will be damned if I let you fall into that too."

Elsa could now see Anna's white streaks fully disappearing. The only one that remained was the lone streak that had been there since the accident when they were younger. Elsa smiled sadly and opened her arms and Anna fell right into them. They still had a ways to go, and while their old bond seemed damaged, this was only the start of something new.

* * *

**A/N: **Do not worry, this is not the end just yet. I may have one or two more left, then an epilogue or something like that. Again any questions, comment, or concerns just PM me. Otherwise hope this was satisfies.


	10. Minor Set-backs

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Nine: Minor Set-backs**

It was still perpetually dark outside, and inside the castle was extremely quiet. Everyone except for one person was sleeping. The grandfather clocks in the palace chime one, signaling to the lone person that it was one in the morning. Elsa was pacing back and forth in her room with her now gloved hands underneath her arms muttering her old mantra, "Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let it show."

Her body was shaking violently and her breathing was quickened as light snow and frost covered the room. Small ice shards started to inch out on the ceiling and soon Elsa collapsed against the wall facing the door. She buried her head in her knees trying to block out her recent nightmare, "_The sky is awake, so I am awake_!" She could hear her five-year-old sister's cheerful voice.

"No..." Elsa muttered out as for the millionth time she started to see the memory.

"_Catch me Elsa_!" She once again heard the trusting voice of the five-year-old.

"_Anna slow down!_" She heard her eight-year-old voice as she saw Anna jumping from snow pile to snow pile.

Elsa let out a groan as she felt the ice forming all around her, "Make it stop…don't feel…don't feel…please…" She felt tears forming in her eyes, "Don't feel…"

She was now hyperventilating as the memories shift and now she sees her ice powers striking her sister's head, then she hears the knocking, then it shifts to the coronation, now it jumps to the ice palace, "_Please don't shut me out again_!" She hears her sister plead desperately.

Then Elsa sees herself spiraling out of control. She sees herself release her powers and strikes her sister in the heart. However that is when the memories shift drastically and the worse part of the nightmare begins, "_You sister is dead_! _She said you froze her heart_!" She hears Hans's voice and instead of being on the fjord, they are in a courtroom with her hands in shackle's facing her subjects as they all shouted for her head.

"Conceal…conceal…" Elsa muttered as she released her hands and clasped her head instead, "Don't feel…don't feel! Come on!"

"_Queen Elsa of Arendelle I sentence you to death for treason and for the murder of Princess of Anna of Arendelle_!" Hans's voice echoes in her head as she seems herself approaching the guillotine.

Elsa stands back up and once again as she starts pacing like she was beforehand. The snow starts falling faster and more heavily. The temperature starts to fall drastically and sharper ice shards start appearing as she closes her eyes, but that was the wrong thing to do. She sees herself facing the executioner and she hears a familiar voice, "_Any last words your majesty_?"

Elsa's eyes snap wide open as now a blizzard starts to form in her room. Through the storm she sees the scene as if she was witnessing it right in front of her, "_Anna_…" She hears and says at the same time.

The executioner removes the black mask. Her hair was pure white and eyes were a real dark stormy blue, "_Long live the queen sister_." Guards grab her and make her kneel and before Elsa could say anything Anna, releases the rope.

"ANNA!" Elsa yells now and instead of the snow stopping, Elsa traps herself in her made up blizzard.

In another room, just down the hall from the raging blizzard, Anna woke up with a start. Looking frantically around to get her bearings; she remembers that she was home and had been home for a few days. However before she could dwell too much on that she jumps up as another shout ensues, "ANNA!"

"Elsa…" Anna mutters and quickly jumps out of bed, however as soon as she does she ends up slipping. Quickly she grabs on to her baseboard and suddenly she sees the reason for her almost wipe out. Her floor was littered with ice, frost, and snow and now as she sees this, she starts shivering and her feet are freezing. Grabbing her night robe and grabbing her boots, she throws them on and races out the door.

Once she is in the hallway, she sees Gerda and Kai banging on her sister's door, "Your majesty!" Kai yells.

"Elsa please!" Gerda cries out.

"GO AWAY!" She hears her sister roar out and she sees the frost and ice forming all around the hallway. Her mind quickly flashes in memories as she remembers a similar situation.

"_Oh Anna, if only somebody loved you_…" She hears Hans's voice as she starts to freeze to death.

"_We're trapped_!" She hears Olaf's frantic voice as ice spikes started to form around them. Now in the present she sees that happening again.

"Please Elsa calm down and let us in to help you!" Kai yells out still banging on the door.

Anna snaps out of her memories as she wraps her robe closer to her and storms over to her sister's door. Without even caring she pushes Kai and Gerda out of the way and as soon as she makes one knock she flinches at the coldness of door, "Elsa!" Anna yells, "It's me! Open up!"

"Anna?!" Elsa yells back.

"Yes I am here!" Anna yelled. She could hear the swirling blizzard inside her sister's room and wonders what the hell happened. Looking around suddenly she sees the ice, frost, and snow in their area receding into nothingness, "Elsa open the door." Anna states again gently.

Kai and Gerda looked at each other and gasped as they saw the princess wince sharply at the Queen's sudden answer, "No! Go away Anna. I am fine now."

Anna was knocked speechless as she jumped away from the door as if having been burned. It was happening all over again as she started seeing every memory and hearing every tone her sister used to get her away. Shaking herself out of her shock, she stood ramrod straight and glared at the door in front of her. Her glare was so hard and menacing that Kai and Gerda had to actually take a step back away from the now enraged princess, "Princess Anna maybe-" Kai started to make a suggestion.

"Elsa! Open this door right now! Or so help me-"

"Anna please I am not in control right now! Go away!" Elsa yelled back.

"NO!" Anna yelled stamping her foot in frustration, "We promised no more secrets! We had a hug-fest in the middle of the damn woods! We told each other no more closed doors!" When Anna did not hear any movement or get a response she growled even more in frustration and stormed back and forth.

Kai and Gerda looked at one another and Gerda made the move to cease the princess's pacing, "Anna, perhaps we should just leave Elsa be for now."

"No." Anna said firmly looking at the servant that had become their surrogate mom, "Screw this." She said again and looked at the closed door, "Elsa I am giving you one final chance. Either open this door willingly or I break it down and open it for you! Those are your only two options because I am not going anywhere!"

There was silence as frost started to appear once again, "Anna please…I can't let you in right now." Elsa begged for her sister to understand, "Just go back to sleep."

Kai and Gerda both watched as Anna stormed away from the door. They looked to each other and Kai placed an arm around her as they too started to walk away. However the sound of running made them stop and they turned just as they see Anna sprinting down the hall and as soon as she reached the door, she turned her body so her right shoulder took the impact as she collided with the door. The was a yell, a bang, and a sickening crack as the Queen's snowy room was now visible for all to see, "Anna!" Elsa yelled as Kai and Gerda quickly went over to see Anna standing up and holding her shoulder.

They watched as Anna pushed Elsa away from her as she righted herself still holding her shoulder. They saw Elsa's face become hurt as she stared at her little sister, "Anna your shoulder-"

"Screw my shoulder." Anna said so firmly, that Elsa winced, "You are not going back to this." Anna waved her hand around the room and motioned to the floor where the door laid in the small heap of snow and ice, "We are not going back to this. We said no more, Elsa."

"Anna I-" Elsa started to say.

"No." Anna stated again firmly and winced slightly as she griped her shoulder harder, "I talk and you listen." Elsa looked at her sister sharply, "We had a hug-fest Elsa. Last week remember? I thought we had an understanding. At least I thought that was it was considering you practically begged me to…how would you put it? Ah yes 'Let it go'?" Anna snapped.

Elsa couldn't respond as she looked away from her sister's glare that reminded her much like their mother's stern glare to stare at her hands as she began playing with them. That was when Anna finally realized something, "Elsa!"

"What?!" Elsa asked surprised at now her sister's enraged voice. Anna motioned her gloved hands with her one good hand and then immediately gripped her shoulder once more, "Anna please." Elsa begged dodging her sister's unspoken question, "Let's take you to Dr. Shepard and get your shoulder to look at, then I promise to explain myself…please."

She saw her sister's eyes flash in defiance, but then she let out an aggravated sigh, "Fine. But we are discussing this."

Elsa nodded although now she felt a bit like a child who had just been scolded at, "Fine." Elsa stated seeing that her sister was waiting for an actual verbal response.

As Elsa led her injured sister out the door, Anna paused and looked at Kai and Gerda, "Can you please bring a tray of two teas and cookies to my room please?"

Kai and Gerda looked at the two sisters. One was slightly shaking her head no, and the other was trying hard not to glare at them, "Oh course." Gerda answered taking the princess's request to heart.

"Thank you." Anna said and together she and Elsa made their way to the medical wing.

Elsa knocked lightly on the door. Hearing shuffling on the other side, the door opened to reveal a salt and pepper haired man. His eyes immediately widened at the sight of his favorite patient, "Ah Princess Anna and," noticed the Snow Queen, "Queen Elsa." He bowed and then ushered the two sisters inside while he grabbed a stack of papers from the inside of his desk, which Elsa could see her sister's name within the mess of the doctor's scrawl. This caused her to wonder how many visits had her sister made to this area of the castle and how injured had she been.

"So your highness, what kind of trouble did you get into this time?" He asked in amusement as he motioned Anna to sit on the cot in the room, placed the large stack of papers down on the table, and gently pried her hand off her shoulder so he could examine it.

"I kind of had a disagreement with a door…" Anna said as she stole a glance at Elsa who winced.

"Must have been some disagreement." He said as he felt her shoulder and he heard her hiss in pain. Then he started to see a small flurry occurring, so he stopped fiddling with her shoulder and let out a huge sigh, "Well your disagreement with the door, made you dislocate your shoulder."

Anna sighed as Elsa asked worriedly, "Will she be ok?"

"Oh yea. This is not even the worst thing she has done to herself." He said in amusement looking at Anna and then writing notes down on a new piece of paper.

Elsa looked sharply at her sister this time. Anna snorted seeing the look, "Oh course it isn't. I have had slightly worse than this."

Elsa was about ask when Dr. Shepard cleared his throat and the sisters looked at him, "I am going to have to put your shoulder back into the socket, and when I do it will most likely going to hurt."

"How are you going to do that?" Anna asked not the least bit phased, however Elsa was starting to worry.

Dr. Shepard smiled gently to the queen trying to ease her worry, "Well, you can either lie flat or stay sitting up. What I will do is flexes your elbow to 90 degrees and then gradually rotates the shoulder outward. You may experience muscle spasms which we can try to fix by gently pushing on the shoulder to allow it to relocate."

Anna nodded her head in understanding, however Elsa was still nervous. Of course she had seen her sister in pain after she struck her heart; but this was different somehow, and she did not know how Anna could remain calm as the doctor made to the other side of her sister, "Ok ready Anna?" The doctor asked quietly.

"Yup. Do your worse doc." Anna said smiling.

Shepard smiled and he started, to which Anna let out a scream in pain and latched hard on to Elsa's hand. Elsa winced at the death grip on her hand and felt like it was breaking. Once the doctor was done and she saw her sister shaking slightly with tear marks on her cheeks. Elsa felt her sister's grip loosen and she shook her hand out trying to get the numbing feeling out of it, "I am going to put your arm in a sling. You'll just have to wear it for two weeks and then come back and see me ok?" Shepard asked gently looking at the princess. Anna nodded in understanding as he went into another room.

Anna looked at her sister, "You ok?" Elsa was gasping silently. She had never heard her sister scream like that before, "Elsa?" Anna called out again. She stood up shakily and kept her right arm from moving and went over to her sister.

Elsa felt a hand on her shoulder and met her sister's eyes. Without thinking Elsa hugged her sister. Anna winced as her sister started crying, "I am sorry, so sorry Anna."

Before Anna could respond Shepard came back and gasped, "Whoa ladies," he gently pulled an unwilling Elsa off of Anna, "let me at least immobilize her shoulder first." He smiled gently and Elsa nodded as she dried her eyes and allowed the doctor to finish his work.

Once he was done, he wished the girls well and sent them on their way. The sisters walked in silence as they made their way back to the rooms. They stopped in front of Anna's room, however Elsa could see that her door had been replaced. She debated on going to her room instead, but when she looked at her sister's warning look, she sighed in defeat. Anna opened her door and motioned to Elsa to go inside.

Closing the door, Anna sighed and with one hand poured her and Elsa a cup of tea as Elsa took in the room. She hadn't really been in Anna's room since it was…well…known as their room, "Cream and sugar?" Anna asked startling Elsa out of her thoughts.

"Yes please." Elsa responded to the question, "What's all this?" She motioned to one of the shelves. It was cluttered and what she could make out was different books that had papers sticking half-hazard out of them, some toys, and a really old and tattered book.

"That is my 'Things to do with Elsa' shelf." Anna said smirking giving her sister her cup, "It was just stuff that I collected that I thought would be cool to do together."

Elsa nodded her head with interest and Anna motioned for her to sit on the bed, "So ready to talk?" Anna asked after a minute of silence.

"No, but I have a feeling we are going to talk anyway." Elsa stated.

"Damn right we are." Anna said firmly, "What the hell happened?"

Elsa was quiet for a moment and sighed, "I had a really bad nightmare." Anna was silent so Elsa knew that she had to elaborate, "It started as memories…of us when we…well…it was the last night we were together." Anna's face went from glaring to understanding, "Then it shifted to you constantly knocking on my door, and the coronation, and then to my ice palace where I struck your heart."

"Elsa…" Anna groaned out, "Are you-"

"Wait I am not done." Elsa said standing up and she began to pace, "I am then at the fjord. Hans was telling me I killed you. Then it changes to a courtroom. He sentences me to death and the executioner…" She is shaking and a light flurry starts. Anna doesn't move, or even try to speak as Elsa sighs to regain control and finally comes out and says, "It's you. The executioner was you."

Anna just stares at her sister in shock, "Me?"

"Yes."

Anna stands up and says, "Elsa, I would never-"

"I know Anna, but I think that even if you did…or were…I wouldn't blame you."

"No! Stop it!" Anna ordered, "I do not care if you struck my head or heart again. I would never want you dead."

Elsa rubbed her face, "Part of me Anna, the whole part of my nightmare was that I still blame myself for everything." Before Anna could speak Elsa continued, "The reason I didn't want you in my room, was because I was not in control. I couldn't risk hurting you, so I told you to go away."

Anna looked at her sister's hands again and glared hard at her hands, "Take them off."

"Anna-"

"Take the damn gloves off." Anna repeated in a deadly tone, "You do not need them. You are strong and do have control."

Elsa matched her sister's glare, but it faltered. How in the hell had Anna managed to out glare her? Elsa broke the stare and with shaking hands started taking the gloves off. Anna held out her hand and Elsa placed her gloves in her sister's hand. Anna then went over to her window and opened it, "Anna what are you-?"

With one motion Anna threw the gloves out the window, "There problem solved." Anna said as Elsa raced to the window to look out into the now early sunrise.

She turned to her sister in shock, "You threw my gloves out the window!"

"You made me dislocate my shoulder." Anna said in nonchalance, "We are even."

Elsa winced as her sister mentioned the shoulder, so Anna frowned and pulled her sister into a one arm hug, which she returned, "Its' ok sis…" Anna whispered, "It was just a minor set-back. I forgive you."

"I am so sorry." Elsa whispered.

Anna held her sister for a bit longer and they pulled away. Anna could still see self-loathing and hurt in her sister's eyes and knew that neither of them were getting back to sleep. Just then an idea hit her, "I know what will help you."

"What?" Elsa asked slightly nervous at the glint in her sister's eyes.

Anna smirked, "That is for me to know and you to find out. Let's go!"

"Are we going to build a snowman?" Elsa asked smirking as Anna opened her door and led them out of the room.

They quietly yet quickly made their way down the hall, "No. This particular situation requires a more...how would you say it? 'Delicate approach'." Anna said her smirk growing.

Elsa gave her sister a bewildered look. Never did she think she would hear the word no when it came to building a snowman; however if she had learned anything, she knew better to underestimate her sister.


	11. One Step forward-Two Steps Back

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Ten: One Step forward-Two Steps back**

"You want me to what?" Elsa deadpanned as she held a plate in her hand, while looking at her sister.

"Just what I explained; are you becoming deaf or something in your old age?" Anna asked as she too held a plate while giving her sister a wink.

Elsa was thankful that she had her good natured, playful, even if slightly annoying sister back. In the days since their return to the castle, everything had slightly returned to normal. Elsa noticed it in the eyes of the servants, some of the citizens who had come from the city to see her when she held court, and she could definitely see it in Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. While the sisters still had their tense moments, since their talk in the forest everything felt right to Elsa…that is until this morning's panic attack/nightmare ruined it. However she was thankful that Anna had understood, even if she was still miffed about being almost shut out again.

However in this moment Elsa sighed and shook her head. The adventure she had just taken, Anna had led them to a secluded upper part of the castle that the queen never knew existed. Along the way she had told her about a book she had found a long time ago that outlined the architectural structure of the castle. She also explained that certain parts of the castle had secret passageways and secret rooms like the one they were in right now. Since it was still fairly dark, the morning sunrise not yet reaching its full potential, means that Elsa couldn't quite remember the twists and turns and door counts they had taken to reach (what Anna called) 'Shangri-La', "Anna we can't do this!" Elsa hissed at her as she waved the plate in her sister's face.

Anna groaned, "Elsa for the last time, these plates are already chipped; they would have thrown them out anyway. All I did was ask Kai and Gerda to put them in a box and let me have them…no questions asked; besides no one will hear us up here."

"How do we know?" Elsa demanded glaring at the strawberry blonde.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Elsa like I already told you, I have done this tons of times. Trust me, it will be fine. Now throw it like this!" Anna brought her left arm back and threw it like a discus where it satisfyingly shattered against the old brick wall, "Now your turn!"

Elsa again stared at her sister and then at the wall. The room was rather large almost the size of a study, but it was narrow enough that it could only fit two or three people comfortably. She did not know how Anna managed to move stuff into this room, but now she kind of stopped questioning everything her sister did. So she took a deep breath and brought her arm back just like her sister did and threw the plate…however unlike her sister's plate, it did not travel far and rather lost its momentum causing it to shatter on the floor.

Anna just stared at the plate and then looked at her sister, "Really Elsa?"

"What? You said to throw it and I threw it." Elsa said as she motioned to the mess on the floor.

"You, the Snow Queen, can throw a snowball no problem. Yet I tell you to throw a plate and it didn't even get half way across the room. Seriously?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Sue me ok!" Elsa yelled, "Sue me for finding this wrong."

Anna groaned again and handed her sister another plate, "OK let's think about it like this: what has father always said to you about your emotions?"

"Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show." Elsa repeated automatically and then winced as her sister was looking extremely disappointed in her.

"Well get that out of your brain. I want you to look at this plate." Anna positioned the plate as if there was food on it and Elsa looked at her, "Look. At. The. Plate." Anna emphasized as she too picked up another plate. Elsa looked down at the plate in her hand, "Now instead of concealing and not feeling, I want you to reveal and feel." Anna explained as she looked at her own plate, "I want you to picture what makes you mad, upset, furious, livid, or even depressed. Imagine it all on this plate…just try not to make it snow…" Anna added as an afterthought seeing light and small flurry that started.

Elsa took her eyes off the plate and looked at her sister sheepishly, "Sorry." Taking a deep breath, Elsa managed to make the flurry stop.

"It's ok. Now once you have you image I want you to throw the plate as hard as you can at the wall. Watch again." Anna instructed as she looked at her own plate. Elsa saw her sister give the plate a dark look and then she brought her left arm back and flung it forward. The plate flew through the air and it shattered against the wall. Although this time Elsa noticed that Anna gave it more force than the last time. It seemed whatever her sister had imagined, she was really mad, "Ok it is your turn."

"What did you picture?" Elsa asked trying to avoid what her sister wanted her to do.

"A certain door that hurt my shoulder," Anna said as she waved her hand like it was no big deal.

However Elsa saw right through it, "Anna…"

"Alright fine, it was the door though however it was thirteen years of that door. Besides do you know how long I wanted to ram that damn door down? Like seriously! I always wanted to do that!" Anna said smiling at her sister, but then she dropped it seeing the look on the older woman's face, "Elsa just be a good girl and do as I instructed please."

Despite the joking tone that Anna may have given, it however made her sister give her the darkest look she could imagine. Not once had Elsa ever looked at Anna like she was looking at her now. Anna took a slight step back as Elsa redirected the look at the plate. The temperature in the room must have dropped about ten degrees because Anna could see her breath in it. Letting out a furious growl the Queen drew her arm back and flung it forward. The plate whizzed across the room where it made contact with the wall and shattered with an ear splitting crash. Anna's mouth dropped open and she looked at her sister. She could see slight tears in her sister's eyes as she had her arm extended out still, "Elsa?" Anna called out quietly, "You ok?"

Elsa was still breathing rather heavily, but she dropped her arm, "That felt so good!" She finally said, "Can I have another one?" Elsa asked facing her sister with an excited smile, that made Anna do almost a double-take to make sure she was seeing her twenty-one year old sister, the Snow Queen, and not the eight-year old Snow Princess.

"Before I give you another one of my plates, what did I say?" Anna asked concerned, not reaching into the box like her sister had requested, "To make you mad?"

Elsa's smile dropped and she looked away from her sister and instead at the floor. Heaving a sigh she responded, "Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be..." Elsa paused and she gave Anna a sad smile, "Conceal, don't feel. Put on a show. Make one wrong move and everyone will know."

Anna's eyes widened as she thought back to what she had said before Elsa threw the plate, "Elsa I am so sorry. I didn't-"

"It's ok really. It's just that I was told to be a good girl all my life. Along with the conceal stuff too. But no need to be sorry. Instead I should be thanking you." Elsa said smiling and giving her sister a gentle hug, as to not damage the younger woman's shoulder even more.

"For what?" Anna asked stunned as she looked confused as Elsa pulled away.

"For everything: for not giving up on me, for coming home, and for teaching me that love can thaw." Elsa explained look at her younger sister, "Also for this new anger management technique." She gave the young princess a reassuring smile.

Anna was not all that convinced however. What Elsa had explained before only reminded her of that accident that she had caused. Sure they had discussed that it was not just one persons' fault. They both (along with their parents and the trolls) had a hand in the damage that those thirteen long years had caused. However what Elsa did not know in the days that they all had been home, Anna still blamed herself, "Anna?" Elsa called over to her sister with concern, as she saw fleeting emotions on the younger woman's face, "You ok?"

Anna turned away from Elsa and went over to the small window and pushed it open. The morning sun now shone brightly in the room and Elsa gasped at the beautiful scenery and then looked around the room. It was still rather small and narrow, but it was still amazing just how much stuff her sister managed to fit in it. It looked like a smaller bedroom, "I think we should get back downstairs. Kai and Gerda are bound to be up and are about to get us up." Anna said, but her tone was not her usual happy tone as she dodged the question.

Elsa looked at her sister with wariness and was not about to let Anna shut her out that easily, "Anna talk to me. What did I say this time?"

"Nothing Elsa, I am fine." Elsa was not buying it, "Just if you can, can you put the box over there by the trunk?"

Elsa looked at the box and then over at the small trunk in the corner of the room. Hesitantly, she did as her sister requested. She wanted to probe deeper as to what suddenly changed her sister's mood, however just like in that clearing, she knew that asking straight out would only lead to Anna being more closed off. So instead she asked a different question, "I know you told me how you found this place, but how did you manage to come up with this idea? The plate throwing?"

Anna led the two out of the room and down a spiral concrete staircase as she thought about her sister's question. She bit her lip nervously as they found themselves in an older, less used area of the castle, "Uhm…it's kind of complicated." Anna said evasively.

"It cannot be that complicated." Elsa shot back as they took in their surroundings trying to remember the hallway as Anna led them down another flight of stairs.

"Trust me sis. It is kind of complicated and rather involved." Anna replied as they turned a corner, "And I can give you the blueprint to find the room if you want."

Elsa stopped looking around and looked at her sister who was smirking a bit, "What?"

"I have the blueprints for the castle remember?" Anna said as they rounded another corner and entered a room which Elsa was again surprised to see it was another study, "Since I explored the castle so much, I know all the passageways and hideouts by heart. I can give you the blueprint so you can get to Shangri-La whenever you need an escape." She explained as the exited the study and continued their trek down the hallways.

As Elsa looked around she started taking notice at the more familiar hallways, "You would really let me enter your secret sanctuary anytime I needed to?" Elsa asked surprised that her sister would be willing to share something like this with her.

Anna laughed lightly, "Of course I would. I wanted to share the book and its secrets with you when I first found it…" Anna trailed off and Elsa could see that her eyes had gotten a faraway look in them and she also noticed that her left hand was starting to twitch for her nightgown. Elsa knew those movements, as they were Anna's nervous habits to play with her clothes, "I just ask that when you use the plates, you try and replace them." Anna spoke making Elsa jump out of her musings as they approached the doors to their bedrooms.

"How did we get back here?" Elsa asked surprised to find that they were standing outside her now fixed door.

Anna smirked, "You were too busy thinking that you were not being very observant."

"Ha ha." Elsa said rolling her eyes as she opened her door to find her room cleaned and tidied, "Did Kai and Gerda get everyone to clean in here or something during the early hours of the morning? I mean I would have thawed it."

"Probably." Anna said looking in her sister's now neat room and she entered.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa demanded as she entered her room as Anna was writing on a piece of paper that she took from the inside of Elsa's desk.

Elsa looked over her sister's shoulder when she did not answer her right away and let out a small gasp. Anna was drawing the route to the hideout and to Elsa it looked very professional, "Like I said I know all the routes by heart." Anna answered.

"Very professional looking;" Elsa said as she stood next to her sister while leaning on the desk, "I didn't know you had a taste for drawing."

"As I told you, I was not much of an academic like you are." Anna replied still focusing on her task. To her it wasn't that hard to draw considering the drawing was already in her head, "I liked the arts and horseback riding better." Once she was finished, Anna flipped the paper over and started to right out the directions really quick, "There." Anna handed her sister the paper, "Now it is not exactly drawn to scale," she explained as Elsa looked at the quickly drawn map and flipped the paper over to see the directions, "but it should do. Of course I am around if you need me to lead the way." Anna winked and made a move to exit her sister's room.

"Thank you." Elsa said smiling, "You are going to have to show me more of these passageways and rooms of yours."

Anna nodded and smiled back, "See you in a bit."

It was when Anna was leaving did Elsa remember, "Hey!" Anna turned back around as her hand gripped the handle of the door, "Are you going to be ok getting dressed?" Elsa asked motioning to the sling.

Anna looked at her arm and frowned and shrugged her left shoulder while waving off her sister's concern, "Yea like I said I have had worse. And no my heart was not one of them."

Elsa frowned at the thought, "By any chance has one of the worse injuries you had involved in the plate throwing?"

"See you in a bit Elsa." Anna stated with an eye roll as she exited while closing the door.

Elsa ran over to her door and opened it, "You really are not going to tell me are you?!" She yelled across the hall just as Kai and Gerda were approaching.

Anna closed the door to her room in response; Elsa on the other hand released a frustrated groan and closed her door. Kai and Gerda stood in the middle looking at the sisters' doors and then at each other. Gerda held up her hands, "I do not want to know."

"Neither do I." Kai said and they turned around and walked back in the direction from once they came.

Down at breakfast Kristoff and Olaf waiting for the sisters to arrive, Olaf was asking Kristoff some questions about different sports that get played during the different seasons and why some of them can only be played at certain times of the year rather than all year round. Kristoff was trying hard to keep the conversation in his mind, but all his thoughts drew back to Anna, who he had a planned something special to do with her that day. However just as Olaf was going to ask him about something he heard called 'stickball', they saw Elsa and Anna enter the room. Kristoff smiled, but his smile fell as he noticed the state of Anna's right arm, "What happened?!" He gasped out while him and Olaf jumped out of their seats and ran over to the women.

"I had a disagreement with a door." Anna said sticking to her story.

"Anna it is ok, you can tell them." Elsa sighed as she led them back over to the table.

"Tell us what?" Olaf asked concern swimming in his eyes as the four of them sat at the table in their respective positions.

"Yea, tell us what?" Kristoff asked, "Please do not shut us out again."

Anna groaned, "There is nothing to tell." This time Anna stared her sister down, "I had a disagreement with a door. I won and this was the price, end of story."

Despite the finality of the princess's tone, Kristoff continued to pry, "Anna, please what actually happened?"

"I had a night-OW!" Elsa yelled causing mild snow to fall onto the table and around them. Kristoff was slightly thankful that no one had served them yet, but was also looking between the sisters with concern. He saw Elsa glaring at Anna while, he guessed that she was rubbing her shin, and then when he looked at Anna, he saw her also glaring at the platinum blonde.

"What's a night-OW?" Olaf asked oblivious to the tension at the table.

"Nothing." Anna said answering in a hard tone still glaring at Elsa, "Do not worry about it."

Olaf was confused, still not paying attention to the atmosphere, "But Elsa said that she had a-"

Elsa nor Anna responded to the snowman as the snow was magically cleared off from the table just as the servants served the food, "Anna can I talk to you?" Elsa asked standing up.

"Fine by me." Anna said while she followed her sister out of the room. Kristoff and Olaf just stared at each other and each shrugged as Olaf continued to ask Kristoff about the concept of 'stickball'.

"Why the hell did you kick me?" Elsa asked trying not to shout.

"Because you do not need to explain something that was completely my fault." Anna said with a hard voice.

Elsa just stared at her sister in disbelief, "The guy and snowman asked a simple question! I was just answering it considering that you wouldn't!"

"They don't need to know what happened. It is over and done with." Anna said glaring at Elsa, then she turned and stormed down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Elsa called after her.

"Turns out I am not in the mood for breakfast after all. By the way if you start blaming yourself for this," Anna stated as she stopped and pointed to her shoulder, "I will smack you."

Elsa just watched as Anna stormed away from the dining area. Still shocked at what had started off as a nice early morning turned into another argument; she went back into the dining room. Kristoff and Olaf noticed the princess's absence as the Queen sat down, "Where is Anna?"

"She said she was not hungry." Elsa said.

"What just happened?" Olaf asked after sharing a stunned look with Kristoff.

Elsa looked at the two, "One step forward and two steps back. That is what happened." The three fell into an uncomfortable silence, not one of them feeling like eating.


	12. The Sister Trap

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Eleven: The Sister Trap **

Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf separated after the rather tense breakfast. Kristoff had told her that he had work up the mountain and he would be gone for the rest of the day, Olaf mentioned something about playing with the kids in town; and of course Elsa had paperwork and stuff to catch up on. However, just like a few days prior, Elsa could not concentrate on any of her queenly tasks that were expected of her. She was still puzzled and worried about her younger sister. So once Kai entered her study, before he said anything she asked, "Have you seen Anna today?"

He looked at her with an easy expression, "You two have another row?"

"Something like that; although I have no idea what I did. I mean early this morning we were fine, I mean not fine fine, but we were not fighting either…it was more of a mutual type of understanding thing, but nothing that I really seemed to need worrying at the time, although it is Anna so I mean…" She trailed off when she saw him smiling and pointing to the ceiling. Looking up she just realized it was snowing, "Oh sorry."

"You and Anna seem to share a common trait, minus the snow powers thankfully, but she rambles when she gets upset and nervous too." Kai said easily.

"So I have noticed." Elsa said dryly as she remembered the coronation.

Kai looked at his Queen and said, "Well I can tell you she is still on the grounds if that is what you are worried about."

Elsa's head snapped up to look at him, "I wasn't worried about her leaving." Kai just regarded her with a look, to which she had to break contact, "Ok so maybe I was a bit worried about her leaving again…"

"She is still here. I think I saw her leaving the medical wing, her arm not in the sling." Kai said gently.

"What?! But Shepard said for two weeks she had to keep it immobilized." Elsa said eyes widening in shock, "What if she hurts it again?!"

"Elsa please calm down. This actually was not the first time Anna had something dislocated." Seeing that was not helping he back tracked, "If it is of any help I said the same thing, but Anna assured me that she was fine. Besides she had said that Shepard said so long as she didn't do anything strenuous she could keep out of the sling."

Elsa was pacing and looked at the butler, who was more like a father figure to her, "Kai, its Anna. When does she ever do anything not strenuous?"

"Good point." Kai said after a minute of thought as he thought about the young princess, but then smiled in amusement.

"What is so funny? I do not see anything worth a laugh in this." Elsa said not looking happy as he allowed himself to chuckle.

"Nothing…it's nothing." Kai said whipping his eyes. However when he looked into the Queen's icy stare he sighed, "Ok fine. It is nothing bad, but I remember your mother acting the same way when Anna broke her arm."

"When did my sister break her arm?" Elsa asked not able to recall hearing about this newly developed injury.

Kai paused and closed his eyes, "I think she was either six or seven. Your parents told her multiple times not to ride her bike down the stairs, but she would not listen, so one day she was riding her bike in the hall and when she hit the stairs she lost control."

Elsa's face paled and soon enough she was almost running toward the door, "Wait where are you going?!" Kai asked shocked at the Queen's sudden departure.

"Going to find my sister!" Elsa yelled back and she was out the door, leaving a stunned Kai standing in the study, "What is she? Her mother? Anna can take care of herself." Kai muttered although slightly amused as he started to exit the study…that is until he remembered, "Darn it! I forgot to tell her about the meeting! Your majesty!" Kai yelled as he attempted to catch up to Elsa.

Elsa looked just about everywhere for her sister. She had taken to the stables to see if Anna was with Pharis, then she checked the Princess's bedroom, afterwards the kitchens, and even the portrait rooms. However the princess was not in any of those areas. Elsa stopped in front of her bedroom door. She looked just about everywhere…then that was when it hit her. No she did not check everywhere. Quickly she ran into her room and over to the desk, picking up the piece of paper, she looked it over quick. It was the map that her sister drew to her secret room. Running back out Elsa followed the twists and turns that entered the deserted area of the castle. She entered the unused study and then went out the other door.

Slowing her pace she stopped and flipped the map over and muttered out the directions that she had taken, up until the point she had stopped at, "Ok so count ten steps while keeping my left hand on the wall." Frowning she then asked, "Ok ten 'Anna' steps or normal people steps?" Elsa asked out loud to herself.

Looking around in the slightly dark hallway, she sighed as she placed her left hand on the wall and then re-read the instructions, "So I guess I am supposed to feel for a small opening in the wall…?" Sighing to herself again, Elsa started to count her steps until soon enough there was a small opening in the wall. Looking upwards she turned and walked up the spiral staircase until she reached a large wooden door.

Listening closely, she heard nothing beyond it. Taking a deep breath, but still bit her lip she knocked, "Anna?" she called. She didn't hear anything in response so she tried knocking again, this time a little harder, "Anna? Please open up." Elsa called a bit more confidently.

Still not hearing a response; Elsa straightened her posture, grabbed the handle, and pushed the door open, "I am coming in." She called and entered the room. However Anna was not in there, "ARGH!" Elsa yelled out in frustration, although she was slightly pleased that it did not start to snow or frost up, "Anna where are you?!" She yelled into the empty room.

She rubbed her face with her hands and noticed the window. Getting an idea, she quickly went over to it and opened it up to reveal the mid-afternoon sun. Shielding her eyes from the glare, she slowly opened them and look around at the castle yard looking for any signs of the strawberry-blonde; unfortunately though she was too high up. Groaning again she looked around the room. She saw the area where they had thrown plates and could see the fragments of those plates that had been sacrificed for, as Anna put it, a 'Noble Cause'.

She took a seat in the small nook area in defeat; apparently that was another thing she did not know about her sister; if Anna did not want to be found, then she made sure she wouldn't be found. Taking another look around at the room, she noticed a few things that she did not notice before and one of them was a tall book shelf. Standing up she went over to it and placed a delicate hand on the spines. Most of the books were the fairytales that she had read to her younger sister when they were young. Smiling a sad smile she continued staring at the spines as she continued to read the names of the books. Some ranged from romance and adventures, to ones about different artworks including the history of Joan of Arc. Elsa smiled as she remembered Anna telling her that the painting of Joan in the gallery was her favorite.

Then there were some books about music including a folder, which Elsa took off the shelf and opened it. She gasped at what she saw, it was filled with multiple papers, each handwritten with different notes on the pages. Even though she had not been around her sister for most of her schooling, she definitely recognized them as her sister's handwriting. She placed the folder on the shelf and then took down another book. There was nothing written on the spine, nor on the cover. Opening it, she gasped again. There were multiple drawings, and Elsa bit her lip to keep herself from crying. They were all of their family, some beautiful landscapes, and as Elsa continued to flip through, she came across a picture of the Ice Palace. Slowly she turned the page again and gasped again. It was a picture of her just a few days after the Great Thaw. She knew it was, because the courtyard was filled with other people ice skating, and in the middle was herself playing with some of the kids. Kids that reminded Elsa of Anna when she was younger, especially when they excitedly asked her to do the magic.

Turning the page again she smiled. This picture was drawn during one of the trips they had taken outside the kingdom on a picnic. In the picture she recognized Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf playing catch with a ball. There was a lake drawn in over on the side of their picnic area and she saw herself standing in the middle of it. Smiling sadly she continued to flip through, and marveled at her sister's talent. Closing the book as placed it on the shelf and continued to look around.

That was when her eyes noticed the small trunk in the corner, near the box that held the plates. Swallowing she tried to fight down her curiosity; although Anna never actually said that she couldn't look in the trunk, she knew that if she did she would be invading her sister's privacy. However the urge to get to know her sister better overrode her judgment and she knelt down and made a move to open the trunk, but she stopped suddenly and stood up, "No." She said out loud, "If I do and she finds out, I am going to be in more trouble than I already am in…although I cannot fathom why."

Looking around the room once more, she went back over to the window and closed it. Making sure that everything back where she found it, she exited down the stairs and found herself back in the hallway. This time however she did not need the map as she made her way back into the more familiar parts of the castle. Instead of returning to her study, she started making her way to the dining room for a late lunch. Although as she made the trek, she started hearing the sound of a piano playing. Stopping suddenly she listened closely, along with the sound of the piano there was also singing as well. Deviating from the path to the dining room, she followed the source of the sound and found multiple servants standing outside the door, "What is going on?" Elsa asked as she approached.

"You're Majesty!" They gasped quietly.

Gerda approached and motioned the queen to be quiet and brought her forward, "Gerda, you know that no one is allowed in mother's music room…much less playing on her piano." Elsa reprimanded quietly.

Gerda swallowed as Kai approached them as well. They motioned all the other servants away from the memorizing melody and again motioned for Elsa to be quiet as they pointed to the inside of the room. Elsa looked at the quizzically and then looked to where they were pointing, and gasped. Inside Anna was sitting at their mother's old black grand piano. Elsa remembered when their mother would hold miniature concerts for them. She also remembered that their mother had tried to teach her how to play, but Elsa would get so nervous that she would sometimes accidently freeze the keys. However seeing Anna play that same piano, she could not help but feel as if she was looking at the splitting image of their mom.

Elsa listened as the last note played out. She watched as Anna took her hands off the keys and shook them out before titling her head back. Elsa watched as Anna took a deep breath before playing another melody. This one was sad and slightly mournful and after a few seconds, Elsa listened as Anna began to sing softly, "I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface. Don't know what you're expecting of me, put under the pressure of walking in your shoes…"

Elsa could feel her eyes tear up as they listened to the sound of Anna's voice and the sad melody that accompanied it, "Every step that I take is another mistake to you. I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. I'm becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you."

Elsa couldn't listen anymore as she started to walk away, "Your majesty?" Gerda called softly as they were still by the music room. Elsa turned to look at the heads of housekeeping, "She did not write that about you." Gerda said softly.

"So then why does it feel like she did?" Elsa asked softly.

Kai and Gerda looked at each other and then at the young queen, "It is not our place to say Elsa," Kai said softly, "but what I can say is that while your sister may look like she is happy and carefree, she is actually hurting…almost like-"

"She has a frozen heart…" Elsa muttered to herself. Turning back around she looked into the music hall just as she heard the final notes of Anna's song, "I'm tired of being what you want me to be…" She heard softly as Anna played the last few notes as they rang mournfully around the room.

Gerda looked between the music room as Anna once again lightly shook her hands out and rubbing her shoulder, then to Elsa, "The song I think was about your parents and her relationship." She said softly.

"Whatever for?" Elsa asked as she looked at the older woman.

"Not my place to say." Gerda stated as Anna played another song.

Elsa noticed that this song was more intense and full of hurt; after a few notes were played the eavesdroppers once again heard Anna's voice, "In this farewell, there's no blood, there's no alibi. Because I've drawn regret from the truth of a thousand lies. So let mercy come and wash away what I've done." Elsa frowned as she watched the way Anna intensified her playing and winced as she heard the self-loathing in her sister's voice, "I'll face myself, to cross out what I've become. Erase myself and let go of what I've done."

Elsa hid her face in her hands and groaned softly in frustration. She had a feeling that she knew what this song was about, "Go talk to her." Kai said gently as he motioned into the room.

"I can't." Elsa said as the music intensified, "I do not know what to say to her now."

"If you let this continue then neither of you will move on from this." Gerda put in softly looking at her surrogate daughter.

Elsa bit her lip as Anna played the last few notes mournfully. She then stood up and suddenly looked toward the door and her jaw dropped as she was looking into the sad eyes of Kai, Gerda, and Elsa. Before anyone could have a chance to speak, Kai looked between the sisters and grabbed Elsa by the arm, "Kai what-?"

"Forgive me your majesty." He said and shoved her in the room with her sister. Taking out the keys he quickly closed the doors and locked them.

Inside Anna and Elsa's jaws were dropped and looked at each other and the doors, "Kai! You let us out now!" They yelled.

Hearing the shouting other servants came back to the area, although they never really left as they were still listening to the princess's musical abilities, "I am sorry, but I cannot do that." Kai responded.

Gerda looked at her husband with stunned eyes, "Do you really think-?"

"Yes, yes I do." Kai said to her and then to the sisters, "You have to sort this out. For the sake of our sanity and all of Arendelle you two have to work through whatever problems that you two have. You will not leave this room until you do." Looking at the growing crowd he said, "You are not to let them out unless I say so." They gulped and nodded as they went about their business.

As Kai walked away, Gerda grabbed his arm, "Is this really the best way?"

"They will not get off it otherwise." Kai stated and together they left.

Meanwhile inside the room, "Did he really just do that?" Anna asked stunned.

"Yes, Anna he really did that." Elsa was glaring at the door, "But I am getting us out of here." She raised her hands and was about to burst the door down like she did to Anna's door.

However before she could do that Anna yelled, "NO!"

"What?!" Elsa asked astounded, "Why?!"

Anna motioned to the snow that started to accumulate and said, "I do not want you to burst the door down or ruin mama's piano." She pointed to the piano, which so far hadn't gotten any snow on it.

Elsa took a deep breath as she put her arms down, causing the snow to stop falling and eliminating the frost and the snow that had accumulated, "Ok then…what do you suppose we do? How do we get out of here?"

Anna shrugged, "Talk about our feelings like he suggested?" The way she said it however Elsa winced.

"I take it you do not want to do that." Elsa said, although even as she said that, she knew that was why she was looking for her sister to begin with.

"Bingo. Want a chocolate as a victory prize?"

"No need for the cynical sarcasm sis." Elsa stated firmly while glaring at Anna who had walked over to a hutch in the corner of the room.

Anna looked at Elsa in surprise, "It was not sarcasm; I was actually offering you a piece of chocolate." Anna held up a piece of candy that was wrapped in red foil that she pulled out of the hutch to show her older sister.

Elsa looked at Anna in surprise and said, "Might as well seeing as we are stuck in here."

"Cheers." Anna said throwing Elsa a piece of chocolate and the two unwrapped their candies and sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon.

**A/N:**

So I know I said this story was almost done, however as you can tell there are still some issues our favorite sisters have to work through, so yea. You can thank my brain's creative mind for not ending this story just yet.

Anyway I do not own the two songs that appeared in this chapter that Anna sang. They are given credit where credit is due which are listed below. Remember to review! =)

Songs in order to which they appear:

Numb- Linkin Park

What I've Done- Linkin Park


	13. Confessions of a Princess

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Twelve: Confessions of a Princess**

No one spoke. Elsa just watched as Anna once again lost herself in a melody on the piano. She knew that Kai was going to remain true to his words about not letting them out, unless this issue was resolved. However Elsa couldn't help but be thrown back in time as Anna played. Soon after a couple of minutes, the young queen found herself sitting on the floor just listening as Anna's slightly sorrowful melody.

Elsa closed her eyes as she pictured her mother was playing the piano, however she opened them once Anna started playing the song over and started singing lightly, "Take me down to the river bend. Take me down to the fighting end. Wash the poison from off my skin, show me how to be whole again." Anna stopped singing and Elsa marveled how swiftly her sister's fingers flew over the keys. She wondered how long it had taken Anna to play the piano. However she did not want to ruin her sister's seemingly focused concentration as Anna began to sing again, "Fly me up on a silver wing. Past the black where the sirens sing. Warm me up in a nova's glow, and drop me down to the dream below." Once again Anna paused in her singing and took a deep breath as the melody became more intense and Anna closed her eyes and belted out the next line, "Because I'm only a crack in this castle of glass; hardly anything there for you to see…for you to see."

However when Anna opened her eyes as she started playing the cords to the next change in melody, she immediately stopped her playing as she remembered that her sister was locked in the room with her, "Sorry." Anna muttered out as she allowed her hands to fall into her lap.

"Why you sorry?" Elsa asked frowning as she thought over her sister's lyrics as to how sad they were.

Anna rubbed the back of her neck, "I assumed we were going to sit in silence until Kai lets us out…"

"Well that would be totally boring wouldn't it? Music after all will help pass the time since he has to let us out eventually." Elsa said trying to smile and make her voice sound light and casual, however even to her own ears, Elsa knew that her voice sounded false. When Anna did not refuse to answer, Elsa decided to ask, "How did you learn to play the piano?"

Anna groaned, "Elsa I know what you are doing ok? Despite what the general population thinks, I am not an airhead. I am not stupid. I am certainly not naïve. Yes it may have seemed like I was with Hans, however I had a moment of weakness, which I will forever regret for the rest of my life. But please, do not think of me as stupid and blind."

"Anna I am not thinking that." Elsa said earnestly as she stood up from her spot on the floor, "What I am trying to understand is how my happy, go-lucky-sister, turned into cynic."

Anna laughed, "Really? You honestly think I am this naturally happy? Elsa this is an act…well mostly an act anyway. There are times that I am genuinely this happy that everyone thinks I am, but for the most part it is an act…" She trailed off quietly.

Elsa was suddenly thrown back to when she had talked with Grand Pabbie. His voice echoed in her mind as she started to remember how Anna had come to have this frozen heart, "_Once she started getting shut out, this is where the small freeze started to occur_." However when Anna suddenly started talking, Elsa started to pay strict attention to her younger sibling, "You locked me out for thirteen years Elsa. For the first part of those years, I already told you I was selfish. I wanted to play with you and I tried everything to get you to come out. And when I mean everything…I mean _**everything**_." Anna stressed.

Elsa did not dare interrupt her young sister as Anna paced the room, almost like a caged animal, "You used to protect me. You tried to keep me from getting into trouble, you sometimes took the blame for me. You were like my guardian angel." Anna smiled sadly, "But then that all changed and because of me, you were placed in a self-imprisonment." Anna shook her head.

"Anna-" Elsa called out gently as her sister had stopped pacing.

However Anna did not hear her sister's soft and gentle voice, "I was not totally naïve you know. I realized that something was wrong despite mother and father telling me otherwise. It was obvious when they started spending more time with you after all. I mean it was not just bad enough you turned your back on me, but they did too. They hardly took notice of me, unless of course when I acted up and got into trouble…then they took notice." Elsa's eyes followed her sister's movements closely. How she wished she could turn back the clock on all this pain and suffering. How could she not have seen or heard about this?

"Was that what you started doing?" Elsa asked quietly when Anna had stopped talking.

"I am not stupid." Anna repeated, "I could have been as good as you…maybe not better, but I **am** just as smart and resourceful as you." Anna was not looking at her sister as she said this, "It really didn't take me that long to notice the patterns. I rode my bike in the halls, and they would pay attention. When my tutors would tell them about a bad grade, I got a stern talking to. 'Why are you slipping in classes?' 'What is your problem?' 'This is not the way a princess should act.' Yea I got those words said to me on more than one occasion; along with: 'Why can't you be as refined as your sister?' 'Elsa is getting good reports, how is it that you can't be like her?' So I figured that you would help with that if I was not doing well in my academics, you would help." Anna smiled bitterly.

Elsa winced as she heard of all this. Of course she would sometimes ask about her younger sister when her parents would come talk to her, but they were always vague about the young girl, "However as I did worse, the more they would reprimand, and you never came. You never talked to me. You never sought me out." Anna sighed and took a deep breath, "I was about nine years old when I had gotten into a terrible fight with Mama and Papa. I was already at the end of my rope and this was my final chance before I gave up completely on getting your attention. I knew that they controlled both our schedules, so when I was getting reprimanded for the umpteenth time I begged them to give you a break in your studies. I had wanted to talk to you. I wanted to just have any sort of contact with you. However Papa and Mama was not having any of it."

Elsa frowned deeply as she remembered. She, Kristoff, and Olaf had seen this memory with Grand Pabbie and the trolls as Anna continued, "Mama was a bit more understanding, she tried to explain; but I was livid. That was when everything had clicked for me. At least at the time that is what I thought what was occurring. In my mind I was the spare to them."

"Anna, how could you think that?" Elsa asked remembering how stunned she was when she had first seen the memory.

Anna stopped moving and just stared at her older sibling, "How could I not Elsa? They were more invested and interested in you than they were with me. I mean I was young. I thought you hated me, and then our parents deserted me as well. What else was I supposed to think at the time?"

The older woman couldn't speak as she frowned ever deeper at her sister's words. She was starting to feel angry at her parents for making Anna feel this way. The only thing she had ever requested out of them was Anna's happiness, "Making it snow is not making me feel any better and it is going to ruin Mama's piano. So please Elsa, calm down." Anna's voice entered her thoughts.

Elsa looked around and realized that she indeed was making it snow. She did stop it from snowing, causing the stuff that had already fallen to disappear but at the same time she asked, "How can I calm down Anna? All I had ever requested from them was to make sure you were happy. Living your life, and enjoying it to its fullest extent."

"You should have known Elsa that I could not be happy. Not when you were completely ignoring me and shutting yourself in your room."

"And Anna I will forever be sorry for that."

"Damn it Elsa! Can you please cut the sorry crap?! I am so sick of hearing that word from you!" Anna yelled as she slammed her hands on the keys of the piano causing an unattractive sound. Elsa gaped at her sister in shock as Anna took a few deep calming breaths. She closed her eyes and continued the story like it had never happened, "Anyway after I erupted at them, I ran away from them and hid in the guards' training area. I sometimes used to watch them train, and I noticed how therapeutic it looked. I would watch at how they would attack the training dummies in anger and then how happy they looked…" Anna opened her eyes and turned away from her sister and stared out the grand windows in the late afternoon sky, "I had stolen one of their swords from the arena."

"Anna…" Elsa trailed off in anguish and disappointment.

Anna had her hands in fists at her side, "It wasn't that sharp, but it was still sharp enough that it could make marks on wood. I just…everything thing I was feeling just opened up at once and I started hacking away at a piece of wood. Kai and Gerda found me and accidently startled me. I dropped the sword and when I went to pick it up, I grabbed the wrong side without looking as to what side I had grabbed; apparently neither they didn't either, because when they too started to give me a lecture, I…my grip had tightened around the blade and…" Anna paused as she opened her right hand and showed it to her sister, "I cut my hand. It didn't need stitches, but I still got a tongue thrashing once our parents found out. However Kai and Gerda took the time to talk to me about it later and unlike Mama and Papa who didn't even bother hearing my explanation, they seemed to understand."

Elsa saw Anna smile sadly, "They gave me the idea about the plate throwing. They said it was safer than playing with a sword. So they gave me a few plates and taught me the safe way to throw them without hurting myself. They also promised me that wouldn't tell mother and father about that too and later that is when I requested them to place the box of plates that would have been disposed of in my room; then later of course when I found the room, I moved them up there."

Anna fell quiet after this and allowed the brief moment of silence fall around them. Elsa knew that this still had to do with Anna's self-blame, that much was obvious to her. She still had so many questions to ask, but when Anna started talking once more she revealed more answers, "Immediately after that incident, Mama and Papa became increasingly worried; I would often hear them talking about you and then they would talk about me. I did not understand what they were saying about you, however I started to feel extremely miserable. It was then I knew I was being selfish and I thought it was time to grow up. So I created this persona so they wouldn't have to worry about any longer. Although while father brought it, mother wasn't so convinced. She always saw through me…" Anna trailed off.

Elsa could see that Anna was coming to the end of her rope, but she knew it was important that she did not dare interrupt Anna's story, "Two weeks after the incident, Mama had brought me to this room and explained that while the academics of my education was important; she had decided that I could also dabble in the arts. She had said that it was important that I was a well-rounded individual. So she allowed me to take some painting and drawing classes, as well as learn any instrument I wanted. She had played one of her songs on the piano and I decided that I wanted to learn that. I asked her who my tutor would be for the piano and she asked whoever I wanted, and I said her. It was then that Mama spent time teaching me the piano, so long as I got my grades up in my academics of course." Elsa watched as Anna smiled as she went back over to the piano and played a few random notes on it.

By this point, Elsa had turned her back on Anna and closed her eyes. She was just realizing that Anna was explaining nearly everything that she herself had been wondering all this time. She was finally getting to know how her little, innocent, beautiful sister became the woman she was today…in fact she was so lost in thought that she almost missed the rest of the story, "After a month of lessons with Mama, she had said I was a natural. That I had a gift…I almost did not believe her; but when she would watch me, her eyes would water…like what I played had an impact on her emotions…it was then that she taught me something about music and just the arts in general. She had told me that sometimes peoples' eyes are a window to their souls…however she said it is in the arts that you can see their true selves." Anna was watching her sister closely. While Elsa was not looking at her, she could see her sister's posture straighten and could tell that Elsa was falling back on old habits; however she knew that she had to finish this story, "She saw me Elsa. I had written a few melodies and would play for her. She had said she always saw me…for who I was and how I was acting."

Elsa remained quiet as Anna sat back down on the piano bench. She pulled the bench close so she could reach the keys. Her shoulder was throbbing slightly, but Anna did not care as she gently placed her fingers on the keys. She played a few cords and glanced at her older sister. She watched as Elsa's posture relaxed a bit as she continued to talk, "One day after our lesson was over, I asked her to tell me the truth."

"You did what?" Elsa asked as she spun around to look at her sister sharply. Her heart was pounding fast, "You asked for the truth?"

"Yes," Anna responded not taking her eyes off the keys as she played random cords, "I asked her for the truth about you. I cannot explain it, but I knew that they were hiding something…that you all were hiding something. But I asked for the truth. Mama did not know what to say, but after a bit she said that you were just too busy for playing and that it was important you knew what your future job would entail."

Elsa hesitantly walked over to her sister as Anna continued fiddling with random notes. Even the notes held no particular meaning like some of the others her sister had played, Elsa found it just as beautiful and peaceful; "You probably did not buy that one bit." Elsa spoke.

Anna smirked, "You would be right sis. I did not buy it, however I learned when not to press. I did however ask for another truth."

"Which was what?" Elsa asked feeling the storm that was brewing inside of her moments before almost ceasing to not exist.

"How you were of course. Every time I would ask, Papa would give me a vague answer. However when I would look at Mama, she looked like she wanted to give me an actual answer. So I finally got the courage to ask her. She had told me that you missed me, but you were doing your best." Anna responded, "After that I remembered how happy we…or you…or both…wait hold on…" Taking a deep breath, Anna closed her eyes and stopped playing the piano for a minute and spoke, "How happy we both were when Mama held her miniature concerts. So I asked her if there was a chance for me to show you how well I could play. Sadly though her answer was no. While I was upset, I asked her if you still liked the sound of the piano or if you were learning as well; she had said no to the learning, but that you hadn't really heard a song in a while. It was then I had gotten an idea…"

Elsa watched as Anna's eyes got a gleam to them. She did not know if they were unfallen tears, as Anna hadn't shown much emotion to her story, or if there was some kind of motive behind them, "Can I ask you a question?"

Elsa had to smile at that, "You just did, but you can ask another one."

Anna smirked, "Did Mama take you in here at all?"

"Yea, once. She had rescheduled one of my classes so that I could spend time with her. When I asked what would happen if we ran into you, she said not to worry about it, because she had switched one of your classes so that I could spend time without seeing you. Why?"

"What did you do?"

"She took me here and played me a song like she used to do with us…" Elsa trailed off as if lost in the memory, "She played multiple songs, but one song stuck out to me. It was not like the rest…I vaguely remember the melody, but not the words…I think it had December in it though." Elsa started to hum the melody, but she stopped once Anna started playing the song.

Once again Elsa was amazed. Anna had her eyes closed as her fingers gently played the notes to the song that Elsa was trying to describe to her. Some of the notes repeated a few times and Anna had picked up the tempo a bit, but Elsa allowed that feeling of nostalgia to wash over her as Anna started to sing softly, "Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember, and a song someone sings: Once upon a December." The melody became slightly fiercer than perviously as Anna sang the next verse her voice becoming slightly stronger, "Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance through a silver storm, figures dancing gracefully across my memory…"

The echoes of the melody flowed around the room, and Anna's playing became more profound than Elsa could think possible. To her she was watching her mother playing, and she was twelve years old again. She sat down memorized as Anna's strong melody and quick tempo overwhelmed her senses and her sister's strong voice hit her full on, "Someone holds me safe and warm! Horses prance through a silver storm! Figures dancing gracefully across my memory! Far away, long ago…glowing dim as an ember! Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember…" The melody once again started to drift, becoming softer, slower, and much gentler as Anna finished quietly just as she had started, "And a song someone sings: Once upon a December…"

Elsa heard the last note echoing in the room and then it became silent. For a moment no one spoke or moved…that is until Elsa had to break it, "That was…Anna that was…no words can describe how beautiful that was." She finally managed to get out, "I mean when Mama played it for me the first time I was just as awestruck, but hearing you play it…wow."

Anna smiled, "That is what Mama told me you said the first time you heard it…" She let the sentence trail off.

"Wait…you wrote the song?" Elsa asked as she realized what her sister meant after processing her words for a moment.

Anna nodded, "It was my gift to you. I had asked her that if I wrote you a song, if she could play it for you…I was hoping it would make you feel happy again knowing that you had someone that loved you. I was hoping it would make you not forget about me…"

"She never told me you wrote it though…I asked where she heard it, and she never really gave me an answer…" Elsa trailed off.

"That is because I told her not to tell you I wrote it. I did not want you to feel obligated to do anything for me…considering you had a lot of things to do…I wanted to stop feeling selfish." Anna said sadly.

Elsa could not take it anymore and jumped up and hugged her sister close, "You have every right to be selfish. You were only trying to fight for something you deserved, which was love. Everyone has a right to have love in their life."

"But my fight for that brought you nothing but misery." Anna said forcing Elsa off of her, "And you are still paying for it. It should be my price to pay; not yours."

"Anna if we are ever going to move on from this, then you have to stop sacrificing yourself."

"If you are telling me to do that, then you should also heed your own words sister." Anna stated firmly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means just what you said to me. You too have to stop sacrificing yourself; because what you do not seem to get is that when you are hurting, so am I. You blame yourself, I blame myself ten times over." Anna explained softly, "Let's face it, we both have to move on from this. You said so yourself in that clearing. Yet when we come home and you have one nightmare, you are ready to shut me out again."

"Only because I was not safe to be around Anna. You have to understand that I am trying-"

"Do not say that 'p' word. If you want me to trust you, then you have to trust me. I know my limits. I know what I can and cannot handle…and if I did not feel safe around you then do you really think I would be here?" Anna asked.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "Considering you placed yourself in front of a sword to protect me, yes I think you would still be around me to convince that I am not a danger to you."

"Well there you go," Anna motioned with her hand to Elsa. Getting up she went to the hutch again and took out another piece of chocolate, "Here is your victory prize."

Elsa caught the candy as Anna lightly tossed it to her, "You know that fact does not make me feel better."

"It should." Anna said, "It shows that no matter what, I will always be here for you even when you do not want me. Doesn't that speak so many volumes to you?"

Before Elsa could answer there was a knock on the door, "Your majesties?" Kai's voice came to them.

Elsa and Anna looked at each other, "Yes?" Elsa and Anna called back.

"Oh good, you two are still alive." Kai said sounding relieved, "How are you two?"

Elsa and Anna once again exchanged a look and then Elsa answered, "Good. I think we are ok."

"Princess Anna? How do you feel?" He called out to her.

"Fine." Anna said looking at Elsa and winking, "Hungry and tired but I am ok."

There was a pause and then they heard Gerda's voice, "So have you worked out your…ah…problems?"

Once again the sisters shared a look and Elsa spoke, "We think we have enough sorted that we can come out."

"Yea I mean it is not all going to get fixed in one forced confinement session." Anna answered as well. However she got an idea and pulled her sister close to whisper something in her ear. As Elsa listened to her Anna's 'suggestion', a mischievous smile played on her lips and she nodded enthusiastically trying to hide her sniggers.

On the other side of the door, Kai and Gerda shared a look. Kai sighed thanking whatever higher power there was that they did not sound too upset anymore, "Ok we will let you two out." Pulling out his keys he unlocked the door. Slowly he opened it as he said, "Now if you two can learn proper communication skills, we will not have to resort to such-"

However he did not manage to complete his sentence, because as soon as he opened the door fully, he was met with two snowballs that were in the shape of pies in the face. Gerda covered her mouth to hide her laughter, but was failing miserably. Elsa and Anna were looking at their surrogate father with faces of half amusement as Kai was shouting, "Cold! Cold! Very cold!"

"As much as we appreciated the 'help' and 'concern'-" Anna started with in a slightly overly happy voice.

"If you ever lock us in a room again-" Elsa cut in.

"We will do something worse than a simple snow pie in the face." Anna finished the threat.

"Are we clear?" Elsa asked.

Shivering from the snow attack Kai nodded, "Yes."

"Good." The sisters said together. Elsa held out her arm and Anna mocked curtsied and gladly accepted and together they walked down the hall to the dining room.

Gerda was still laughing at her husband's expense, "Are you finished yet?" He asked.

"Well dear you know what they say about payback…" Gerda stated still laughing.

Kai snorted, "That is the last time I get involved in their feuds."

"Oh you know you love them." She said handing him her apron to wipe his face with.

He accepted it and smiled. Once he was done he sighed, "Yes I do."

Once Gerda sobered up she smiled and looked to the direction where the sisters walked off to, "Do you think they will be ok?"

Kai nodded, "I think now they will be. She really needed this."

Gerda nodded in agreement, "They both did."

Kai held out his arm like Elsa had done, and Gerda smiled and took it. Together they followed the same route the sisters had taken, hoping that this time the sisters had gotten the closure they needed.

* * *

**A/N:**

Wow so two updates in one day; this is what happens when my brain decides that creativity is more important than studying for an exam which I have tomorrow. Oh well it is eleven-fifteen on Sunday so I still have a few hours that I can study.

Anyway I think I mean it this time…this story is almost at its end…unless of course you all want me to drag it out for as long as possible; but yea. Songs that I no own are listed below and by the way, you should check out the piano versions of them. They are really good. Once again thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and favs you are giving not only to me, but to this story as well. I am sure Elsa and Anna would share their chocolate with you as a thank you for your support!

Castle Made of Glass- Linkin Park

Once Upon a December- from Anastasia (Awesome movie by the way! Just throwing that out there!)


	14. Of Inspirations and Reconciliations

Ok so I had an idea. I am not too sure if I want to do this or not, but I will leave it up to you guys: my wonderful followers and readers. As posted a few chapters ago, I had another Frozen story posted called "Frozen on Facebook". The title is self-explanatory and I am not going to go into detail for what happened, if you want the information see the author's note at the beginning of technically chapter 9 according to the drop scroll thingy called: Icy Revelations. Anyway my idea was to re-post the same story as a series of random one-shots, however I do not know if that would kill the effect of the story and eventually lose the funniness which always seems to happen when other people do this after a while. But that is my idea, and I would appreciate it if you would let me know if I should do this or not.

Anyway that was it, please enjoy this chapter of this story!

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Thirteen: Of Inspirations and Hopeful Reconciliations**

Kristoff walked into the dining room, followed by Olaf. He had expected a lot of things when he walked into the room; however one of them was not the sight of the Queen and Princess laughing. He and Olaf stopped and looked at the sight and shared a loaded glance, almost asking each other if what they were seeing was real, "So then after that Mama and Papa told all the servants not to give me any more coffee." Anna laughed.

"Shouldn't they have known better anyway?" Elsa laughed into her drink looking at her sister.

"One would think that wouldn't they?" Anna said as she too took a sip. All of a sudden she looked up to see Kristoff and Olaf standing in the room, "Oh hey guys! Come join us!"

Kristoff smiled and walked over to Anna who had stood up and before he could say anything, she gave him a hug, "I see you are feeling better." He said.

"I am, we are working things out, but I am better." Anna muttered into him, "How was your day?"

"It was dull and busy." Kristoff said as he released Anna and they sat down, "What was so funny?"

"Yea you guys were laughing really hard about something." Olaf stated, "Which by the way, glad to see you laughing Anna."

"Feels good to laugh," Anna said smirking at her sister, "anyway I was telling a story."

"Oh! I love stories!" Olaf said clapping.

Elsa smiled at the snowman, "Well then you would love this one. Anna was telling me of the time the servants let her try coffee."

Kristoff's eye twitched, "Anna on caffeine?"

Anna waved off the wariness, "Yea, but trust me I am not going near the stuff again."

"What exactly happened?" Olaf asked curiously.

Anna was eating and motioned to Elsa to tell, "Well apparently she was literally bouncing off the walls and ended up spraining her ankle." Elsa explained, "Trying to fight off imaginary dragons and gnomes."

"Hey that gnome was going to eat me." Anna said after swallowing and pointed her fork at Elsa, "I mean he was like 'grr!' and I was like 'gah!' and well yea…!"

"Gnomes?" Kristoff asked as he was cutting his chicken and giving his girlfriend a look.

"Yup! I think there was an ogre in that war too. Although honestly I am a bit hazy on that detail…it all sort of started falling apart about after I saw Shepard." Anna said as an afterthought.

"Yea we are never giving you coffee." Kristoff said agreeing with their parents and that was when he noticed, "Hey what happened to you sling?"

"I asked if I could take it off so long as I didn't do anything strenuous." Anna said as she took a sip of her water.

"You not do anything strenuous?" Kristoff asked raising his eyebrow at her.

"Thank you! That was my reaction when Kai told me." Elsa stated.

"Gee thanks for the support guys." Anna sniffed at them, "I honestly didn't really do anything strenuous today." Although she raised her shoulder and moved it in a small circular direction and winced, "Although I think I over did it playing the piano earlier. It is kind of stiff."

Kristoff nearly choked on his drink, "Wait you play an instrument?"

"Yea, I play the piano." Anna said, "Our mother taught me how to play."

"You should hear her. She is really talented." Elsa said as she picked up her wine glass and took a sip. Although another thought came to mind as she placed her cup down and looked at her sister. She wanted to ask, but didn't want to bring up bad memories. Resolving herself she coughed and asked, "Can I ask you something?"

Anna, who was about to take a bite of her chicken, looked at her sister and smirked, "You just did sis; however I guess you can ask something else."

Elsa smiled at her sister's playful tone. She would have to thank Kai later for locking them in the room, "Before we were locked in together you played a few other songs. What were they about?"

Anna was about to take a sip of her drink as the servants gathered their plates up. She bit her lip and placed her cup down and waited until the servants were out of the room, "How many of them did you hear?"

Kristoff and Olaf did not dare speak as Elsa bit her lip nervously. They were curious as to what Elsa meant that they were locked in the room together, but figured they would stay out of this one as the servants came back with a chocolate cheese cakes for them, tea for Anna, and coffee for the rest of them. Anna and Elsa however did not touch their dessert. Elsa sighed and decided to bite the bullet on this one, "I heard like maybe three. One sounded like it was the tail end of a song, and the other two you sang. However I didn't know how long you were in there because when I arrived you already had an audience present."

"Oh." Anna said thoughtfully as she picked up her fork. Elsa followed suite and tried to catch Kristoff and Olaf's eye as to see if they knew what kind of 'oh' that was. They shrugged as if to say 'no idea'.

Anna took a bite of her cheese cake and then took a sip of her tea, "Well I can tell you that I was in the music room for the better part of the day. I had gotten my sling removed, spent some time with Pharis, and the rest of it was spent in the room. However I never actually meant for you to hear those particular songs."

"Gerda told me that the one song you played was your feelings about Mama and Papa." Elsa said sadly.

Anna paused in her eating and did not meet her sister's gaze. Kristoff and Olaf were just watching the two with caution, "Yea. That song was around the beginning of the lessons. I was still pretty upset with them at how they wanted me to be."

"The other one?" Elsa asked.

"That was written because just like I told you, I still blame myself." Anna explained, "The one before those two that you heard was also about us, although I sang that one too. No, you cannot hear it." Anna said sternly knowing what her sister was going to ask.

"Why not?" Elsa said shocked, "I thought we said no more secrets."

"There are secrets and there is something called privacy." Anna pointed out. However seeing that Elsa was not pacified she added, "Although I can tell you there was another one that I played before that one, but you cannot hear it yet because it is not finished; sadly I reached a creative block in that song." Anna smiled lightly.

Elsa however was not giving into the amusement, "But if it is something bad-"

"Elsa it is not all that bad. It was just something I wrote about our fight. How I do not want us fighting, how I do not like it. I just…you know what I am trying to say. I just…" Elsa waited, hoping that Anna would just spit it out, "I don't want our love to be a battlefield that is what I am trying to say."

"Anna, I am sorry. I do not want us to be like that either." Elsa said reaching for her sister's hand, "We can work through this."

Anna smiled at her sister, but the moment was ruined when there was a rather loud wail. They turned to see Olaf holding a napkin by his carrot nose and leaning on Kristoff for support, who was trying his best (although rather awkwardly) to comfort the snowman. He looked at the sisters pleading for help, "That is so beautiful!" Olaf cried happily into Kristoff's shoulder, "Just brings tears to my eyes! Sister love rules!"

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff started laughing at that. Once the laughter died down Kristoff had to ask, "Uhm…you mentioned before being locked in a room? What is that about?"

"Oh Kai locked us in the music room, so we can work out our issues." Anna said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Yea he thought it was needed for everyone's sake that we work through our issues." Elsa said rolling her eyes.

"And what? You didn't break the door down? Order them to open it?" Olaf asked after he calmed down some.

"Oh we tried…well the order part at least." Elsa said looking at Anna and pointing to her, "This one didn't want me to break it down."

"Excuse me if I didn't want you to accidently ruin Mama's piano." Anna said crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"I would have gotten someone to fix it." Elsa said rolling her eyes.

"Oh no…you think I let anyone else take care of Mama's piano? Nope sorry sis, but I personally maintained that thing for three years, keeping it in top notch condition." Elsa looked at Anna surprised…although she should have known. Seeing Elsa's look Anna rolled her eyes, "Oh come on is it really that hard for you to see that I actually take care of things?"

"Well no…" Seeing Anna's look Elsa amended her statement, "Sort of…" Anna was still not backing down, "Ok fine! Yes."

"Oh ye of little faith." Anna said shaking her head in mock shame.

"Sorry." Elsa said.

Anna rolled her eyes and continued eating her cheese cake, "Ah so did it help?" Olaf asked after a moment of silence.

Elsa and Anna looked at each other as Kai started to take their plates. Elsa could see he was listening closely and the Queen gave him a slight wink, "Yes it did help. Although like Anna said before, one moment in confinement is not going to fix this. We just have to learn that we can't turn back the hands of time. That we just have to learn to let it go and we'll be fine."

Anna was drinking her tea and all of a sudden she spit it out all over Kristoff, "Ew!" Kristoff yelled, "Anna really?!"

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed as she was pounding her sister on the back as Anna was still choking.

"You ok?" Olaf asked trying to hold in his laughter at Kristoff expense.

"No! Everyone just shut up for a minute!" Anna ordered. She looked around frantically ignoring their surprised faces, "Kai!" The head of house jumped at being addressed, "Paper and pen quickly!" He did not move for a moment, "Now please before I lose it!"

Elsa never before seen the man run; not even when he took swift orders from her; she was still stunned when Anna was muttering out what seemed to be a melody and she shoved the plate out of her way and placed her fingers on the table as if she was playing the piano. Before Elsa could ask, Kai returned, "Here you go your-"

Anna swiped the paper and pen from him and waved him away, "Shush!" She quickly drew lines and everyone shared a look with each other as Anna started drawing notes on it. Pausing for a moment she drummed her fingers on the table, as if she was once again playing the piano, "That's it!" Anna exclaimed slapping her hand on the table making them all jump. Turning to her sister with the biggest smile on her face she demanded, "Ok say what you said before!"

"I am confused." Elsa said wide eyed, "What did I say before?"

"That thing with time and hands…and letting it go…quickly Elsa before I lose it!"

"I think you already lost it Anna." Elsa said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"ELSA!" Anna yelled causing the queen to jump in shock and spilling some of the coffee on her dress.

"OW! HOT!" Elsa cried, "ANNA REALLY?!"

"This is important! Please what did you say about hands and time?!"

Kai watched in amusement. There were only a handful of times he had seen the princess this wound up, "Ok ok…uhm…I think I had said something along the lines of: we have to learn that we can't turn back the hands of time. Uhm…I think there was also something I said about we have to learn to let things go and if we do that we'll be fine..." Elsa watched as Anna frantically started writing the words she repeated.

"Was that it?" Anna asked not looking up, just reading her paper and drumming her left hand on the table.

"Uhm…yes I believe so." She responded.

"Yes that was all." Kristoff said as he was still whipping his shirt off still not believing that his girlfriend just did that.

"What is going on?" Olaf asked as he tried to help Kristoff.

Anna did not answer and jumped up from the table, "I am excusing myself! Don't wait up! Love you guys!" Anna yelled as she ran out of the room.

"What the heck was that about?" Elsa asked to no one in particular.

Right at that moment Kai burst out laughing. Everyone looked at the man and Elsa stood up with her arms crossed, "Care to share?"

"Sharing is caring." Olaf said.

"Please…" Kristoff begged as he too stood up.

Kai whipped his eye and took a few deep breaths, "It's just that the last time she was this inspired about a song, you father let's just say…" He was looking at Elsa this time, "was still picking rice out of his hair and ears for a month."

Elsa covered her snickers, "What on earth did he say to warrant that type of reaction?"

Kai thought for a moment, "Uhm…I think if I remember correctly, it was something to do with bears and something about December…oh right! I think he was talking to your mother about an indoor circus in one of the kingdoms they were invited to; because next thing I remember was Anna running down the hall and saying something like: Elsa's song can be finished finally."

Kristoff and Olaf looked at the queen, "Really?"

"Yes. I remember because Anna had stayed up all night writing it and making it perfect. I mean did she tell you the story?" Kai asked noticing the frown on the Queen's face.

"She did." Elsa whispered. She felt Olaf grab her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Kai nodded, "By the time her bed time came, she refused. Your father had to pick her up and place her in her room. But later she had snuck out and went to the music room. I remember having everyone search for her."

"I remember that morning." Elsa nodded as the memory floated into her mind, "Mother and Father had come to my room asking if I had heard from her, but I had said no. I was worried though until I heard that you guys found her."

"Yes we found her asleep at the piano." Kai smiled.

"So we basically experienced Anna's explosion of inspiration?" Kristoff asked summing the whole point of the story up.

"Yes you did." Kai said smiling as he and a few other of the servants finished clearing the table, "However I suggest you do not enter the music room until she is done." He cautioned.

The trio looked at each other, "Why?" Elsa asked warily not liking the man's tone.

"Because the last time that happened when she was working on a song…well let's just say I could not feel my nose for a week." Kai said as he absentmindedly touched his nose. Still seeing their confused looks he elaborated, "She literally shoved me out of the room and slammed the door literally in my face."

"Warning dully noted…" Kristoff said not wanting to experience anymore pain as the man walked away from them.

They all looked at one another, "So I guess this means we are done for the evening?" Olaf asked.

Elsa and Kristoff shrugged their shoulders, "I still have a bit of paperwork to get done." Elsa stated.

"Yea and I am kind of tired from the day's work…" Kristoff trailed off. Giving each other a nod, they went their separate ways.

The clock had struck eleven o'clock as the Queen looked up from the heaps of paperwork that had accumulated. In all honestly, she could not believe that so much paper had suddenly appeared in the small hours she was away from her desk. Rubbing her face with the heel of her hands she let out a heavy sigh and decided to call it a night. As she wandered down the hall to her room, she stopped in front of Anna's room and frowned as everything that had occurred came flooding back to her. The door was closed, however as she approached it, she was hesitant to knock. She did not know exactly why she was drawn to the closed door, but as soon as she was about to turn away she heard her name, "Elsa?"

Turning around she saw the owner of the room approaching her, "Hey Anna…"

The sisters stared a one another unsure as to what to do all of a sudden, "Can I help you with something?" Anna asked motioning to her door.

"Oh uhm…I guess I just wanted to see if you went to bed since it is rather late…" Elsa responded as she stepped aside to allow her sister access to her room.

Anna smiled and opened the door. The pale moonlight was the only brightness in the dark. Anna went over to her dresser and pulled out a match and lit a candle. The room brightened up a bit more as Anna smiled at her sister, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway, "I am not going to bite you know."

"Huh?" Elsa asked looking at her a bit startled.

"You can come in. It was once yours too you know." Anna said lightly.

Elsa nodded and entered. While she was in this room in the early hours of the morning, she was still amazed how different, yet the same, it looked. She looked back at Anna who had taken a seat by her vanity, "You still have that streak." Elsa pointed out coming up behind her sister.

Anna paused as she undid her braids, and indeed she did. The white streak that she had lost when her heart had thawed, "I guess it is being stubborn." Anna shrugged as she continued her task.

Elsa frowned slightly as she grabbed a brush and the other chair to sit. She grabbed her sister's hair and started brushing it. Anna let out a moan as she immediately relaxed, "You still blame yourself too don't you?"

"It's as I said before Elsa. You blame yourself, which leads me to blame myself more." Anna said her eyes closed as her sister ran the brush through her hair. Letting out a sigh she continued, "But we are moving on and that is all that matters."

Elsa nodded in agreement, however she still did not like what she was hearing, "You should have never had this burden Anna." Anna opened one eye and looked in the mirror in order to look at her sister, "This…everything…should have been my burden alone."

Anna sighed as Elsa had paused in her movements. Turning so she was facing her sister Anna said, "Look if it is one thing that I learned from all of this, it takes two to tango sis. Honestly…if we are going to do what we said we were going to do in the music room, we have to learn to just move on." Standing up Anna thought about her words and what she was doing for the few hours after dinner, "Hey I have an idea."

"Does it involve a snowman?" Elsa asked curiously as she too stood up.

"No, but why don't you put on your night gown while I put on mine, and meet in the hallway say in five minutes?" Anna suggested as she collected her night gown from the closet.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "What are we going to be doing?"

"You will just have to find out." Anna smiled.

Elsa nodded and placed Anna's brush on the dresser. However before she exited, Elsa turned back, "I am really sorry about what happened earlier. About shutting you out again, hurting your shoulder, and for well…the rest of what happened today."

Anna waved her hand, "Hakuna Matata." Elsa gave Anna a funny look, "What?" Anna asked.

"I have no idea what you said." Elsa responded crossing her arms.

"Hakuna Matata. It means no worries in Swahili." Anna stated proudly. Then still seeing Elsa giving her a funny look she asked, "You never learned that?"

"No, how did you learn that?"

"I read it in one of my books. I asked Papa about the translation, because I had no idea either." Anna said proudly.

Elsa nodded as she walked out of the room. Hearing the door shut, Elsa turned back to face the door once more and shook her head in amusement. Anna will never cease to amaze her. However, even though they are reconciling, there was still something that Elsa could not shake that was bothering her as she made her way to her room. Opening the door she entered and before she closed it, through the dimness of the moonlit glow, her eyes traveled to the door from once she had come through. Yes, Elsa nodded to herself, there was something that did not feel right…and she had a sinking feeling that while things maybe looking now, the peacefulness may not last for very long.


	15. In the Dark of the Night

So this chapter came to me after listening to Rasputin's song in Anastasia: In the Dark of the Night. I suggest if you want to listen to it…and if you have not seen the movie I suggest you watch it.

Anyway some of you guessed there is going to be another blow up…you may be right about that…and I also am bringing in a guest-star into the story! You will just have to read to see who the special guest is now huh? *wink wink*

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Fourteen: In the Dark of the Night**

_**In the dark of the night  
Evil will find her  
Find her!  
Ooh!  
In the dark of the night terror comes true.  
Doom her!**_

_**My dear, here's a sign -  
It's the end of the line!  
In the dark of the night...**_

'**In the Dark of the Night'-from Anastasia**

The clocks in the castle echoed twelve times as the sisters returned from their late night adventure. Elsa smiled warmly at her sister and Anna gave her sister an identical look. Anna had just shared briefly the song that she had been inspired at dinner to finish, and while she had said that it still was not quite done; special circumstances were given to hear the melody at the very least, "So I take it that I am special?" Elsa had asked her in the music room just moments before.

"You are always special Elsa." Anna had winked back.

When they had left, they had walked in a comfortable silence back to the rooms. However even as they walked, Anna felt as if something was looming over her as she tried to focus her mind in a more happy place; but her mind did not want to seem to allow that to happen…which is why the look Elsa was giving her was throwing her into utter turmoil on the inside, "Well we are all set to sleep in tomorrow or rather later." Elsa said suddenly feeling the need to break the suddenly tense silence that appeared out of nowhere.

"Really? How did you swing that?" Anna asked feeling relieved at the prospect of sleeping in…although she would have done it anyway.

"Well I am the Queen, but I also left a note for Kai earlier on my desk." Elsa said still smiling. Although as she smiled at her younger sister, she could tell something was off.

Anna just nodded, trying to keep a straight face. It was as if the events were catching up to her all at once and she knew that she had to get out of there. So releasing a yawn, Anna shrugged, "Ok well good night Elsa."

"Night Anna."

The sisters stood in the middle of the hall looking at each other. Almost daring one another to walk away first. Slowly they started to back away at the same time, and together they reached their respective doors. Almost as if in synchronization they opened the doors at the same time and they entered their rooms. Sharing one last look at one another the doors closed with silent clicks; but as one sister fell into bed and drifted off into a slightly easy sleep, the other was lying awake.

"The sky is awake…" Anna muttered as she stared into the dark abyss the engulfed the room from the now snuffed out candle and the moon hiding behind the winter clouds, "So I am awake." Her mind was in overload and silent tears fell from her eyes as she rolled over onto her side and hugged her blankets close to her. Silently crying for about a few minutes she felt her body giving into the exhaustion from the day's emotional roller-coaster ride and soon sleep over took her senses…

* * *

"_Elsa?_" Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. Looking around she saw that she was in a room with two beds. However no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, she could not take away the blurriness of the scene before her.

"_Anna go back to sleep_." She heard the second voice.

"What the-?" Anna was about to ask when she heard another voice…a voice that made her blood run cold.

"Aw look how cute you two are." Spinning around she sees a man with red hair and really good looking side-burns, "But it is rather blurry so why don't I lighten it up for you."

She watches with jaw drop awe-ness as the scene before her becomes crystal clear with just a wave of his white gloved hand as she now recognizes her five year-old self and her eight year-old sister, "_The sky is awake. So I am awake, which means we must play_!"

"_Go play by yourself_." She watches as Elsa pushes her off the bed.

"That had to hurt." Hans states, but then he rubs his jaw, "Although not as bad as that punch you gave me probably." Anna turns away to look at him sharply, "Oh you may want to pay attention, this is like the start of everything."

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought we banned you from ever coming back to Arendelle." Anna stated sharply.

Hans smirked, but it was not in a good way, "Oh trust me I remember. I believe if I ever came back, I would be sentenced to death without a trial." Looking at her right in the eyes this time he said firmly, "Yes princess I fully remember because my family signed the declaration."

"So then what the hell are you doing here…in fact what the hell is going on?" Anna motioned around as she watched her younger self get off the floor and ask the younger Elsa the mother of all questions, "_Do you wanna build a snowman_?"

In that moment the scene went dark and they now found themselves in the ballroom. The scene was not blurry this time, however it was not like anything Anna ever seen. It was beautifully covered in snow and a light ice and she watched as the younger versions of her and her sister build Olaf, "This is the real memory that changed everything." Hans stated as he approached her.

"But I do not remember this night; not this clearly…" Anna said, "All I remember is bits and pieces and the blurriness, but you still have not told me what I or rather we are doing here. In fact again, why are you even here?"

They watched as the young girls skated around with the completed Olaf, "To answer part of your first question your mind is willing itself to remember. It essentially is breaking the bind that the old troll placed on your memory. The second part is that your subconscious wants you to remember, so really it is allowing you to see it from a different perspective…hence I am guessing why you are merely an on looker and not the five year-old." Hans trailed off as he listed the reasons on his gloved fingers in boredom, "Come on can we please get to the good part?"

Anna death glared at him as she heard the young girls going gleefully down the ice slide Elsa had created, "The third part? Why are you here with me?"

"I cannot answer that." Hans shrugged, "I do not know why, nor do I really care why your mind created my presence to be here with you. I just know that I have a job to do and I intend on doing it."

"You are not going to kill me again are you?" Anna asked looking back at the girls.

Hans shook his head, "I couldn't even if I wanted to. We are merely at the mercy of your mind. Whatever your mind wants to do, it will do so on its own accord."

"_Catch me Elsa_!" The five year-old shouted gleefully.

"_Ok hold on_!" Elsa yelled as she started creating the snow mounds.

"No." Anna muttered as she started to run toward them, "No! You got to stop! Please!"

"They cannot hear you," Hans said in a bored tone, "this is merely a memory. A memory of past events."

Anna stopped frozen in place as she saw the panicked look on the older girl's features, "_Anna stop_! _You are going to fast_!"

However the words fell on the five year-old's deaf ears as the mounds became higher and the jumping became faster. Then right before Anna's eyes as if in slow motion, she watched as she saw her younger self jump and Elsa slipping on the ice of her own creation, "**NO**!" They both shouted as the ice blast hit the young girl in the head and the scene went dark once more.

"Well that was dramatic." Hans spoke out of boredom. Seeing Anna still slightly frozen and face pale he groaned, "Come on, are you going to be this overdramatic?"

"It was my fault. Is this why my mind is trying to torture me?" Anna asked, "To show that it was my fault? I already knew that."

Hans snorted, "I have no idea how your mind works. Only you can answer that."

"Yea well I think this is torture considering you are here with me. I mean you were my second biggest mistake that I will forever live with for the rest of my life." Anna threw back while crossing her arms.

"Trust me sweetheart, I am not proud to be with you either, then again I am a figment of your imagination, I mean I am probably locked up in my own castle somewhere for all we know." Hans stated back in the same manner.

"Good because I wouldn't really want to be talking with you anyway."

"Fine, then you can just shut up because we have something coming our way." Hans said pointing to the bright light.

Anna and Hans shielded their eyes and sure enough rapid flashes appeared before them. They watched as little Anna continued to approach Elsa's closed door. Each time they watched, Anna got more upset with each passing rejection, "You were one stubborn child." Hans stated.

"Yea, I only caused her more pain…I was stubborn and selfish." Anna said mournfully. She could only imagine how Elsa must have felt on the other side. She wanted to tell her younger self to leave Elsa alone. If only had she done that…then maybe Elsa could have learned the control sooner and they would not have gone through the pain.

Hans looked at Anna and said, "You cannot be serious."

"What?" Anna asked surprised.

"You really believe if you just left your sister alone, she would have had the control sooner?"

"Are you a mind-?" Anna stopped, "Wait never mind, because you are my mind. Yes ok? Yes I do believe that. I mean look at me!" She pointed to herself knocking on the door, "All I did was ask her to do stupid stuff! I mean who knows what she was doing behind those doors! She could have been practicing and all I did was interrupt and make her more miserable and afraid!"

"Or she could have been wallowing in self misery because she was afraid and your father certainly did not help by telling her to conceal and wear those damn gloves." Hans pointed to the scene and it briefly showed Elsa playing with those gloves in the library, in fact Anna remembered this…it was the day she made friends with Pharis, "It was just like you said; you did not know."

"It still doesn't make it right." Anna said as the scenes darkened.

"And who is to say what is right and wrong in this situation?" Hans demanded, "You did not know! Neither of you could have known!"

Right then there was a brightness and it showed a fifteen year-old Anna in front of a crowd of people each yelling different things. Anna turned her back on the memory however she could not block out the noise, "So what is this about?" Hans asked in mock curiosity.

As Anna turned back around she heard the tail end of her fifteen year-old self's rant to the lords, "_While you worry about the future, my __**sister **__and I are grieving! We lost our parents and are about to have the ceremony for them! They are not even buried yet and you sit here on your butts and dare to disrespect not only myself, but your __**queen**__?! You all disgust me!_"

"Wow," Hans said sounding slightly impressed, "You really know how to take charge."

"I should not have had too," Anna muttered bitterly, "I should not have had to deal with those pompous asses."

Hans watched the younger Anna as she was continued to be bombarded by the high lords of the court, "No you should not have…where exactly is the young acting queen hiding?"

"Her room." Anna said as she pointed to the hallway since the scene had changed.

They watched as Anna knocked on the door, "_Elsa? Please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been, they say, 'have courage' and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you just let me in…_"

Hans stole a glance at the woman next to him, "Was this before or after?"

"After. I was left to make all the arrangements and I was left alone at the actual ceremony…but why do you care?" Anna demanded looking at him sharply.

"I don't." Hans stated firmly as they proceeded to watch as the fifteen year-old slid down the white snowflake decorated door.

"_We only have each other, it's just you and me. What are we gonna do? Do you want to build a snowman?_" The scene went dark once more.

Hans shook his head, "You are truly pathetic."

"Oh really? This coming from a usurper who would let a woman freeze to death and kill another while her back is turned." Anna crossed her arms and gave him a death glare, "I am pathetic huh?"

Hans glared right back, "You place all this blame on yourself, yet your sister is the one who did absolutely nothing about her mistake except to hide herself away from the world!"

"Because she wanted to learn control! She was trying to protect me!" Anna said and then winced harshly at her own words…words that she was vehemently trying to deny to her sister just days before.

Hans nodded along with her words, but it was not genuine, "Yea fine job she did with that." Before Anna could respond the scene fast-forwarded the next three years. They saw the gates opening for the coronation, then they saw the actual ceremony, and then they saw the ball.

Anna's eyes widened in shame as she noticed the apprehension in Elsa's eyes and the poise in which the young queen presented herself. The sick feeling returned to her stomach as she saw herself walking away from what would be the start of everything that had occurred that night. Elsa looked so regretful and said, "Oh this was like the best night of my life." Hans said smiling. Anna did not know if it was genuine or mocking, she guessed the latter though; however she could not help but be truthful with him. He would know it anyway considering he was just part of her mind.

Anna smiled slightly despite herself, "I know I had a good time, well before everything that had occurred."

Hans looked at her then back at the scene as it comes back into focus at the coronation ball. They watch as they approach Elsa and announce the doomed engagement, "_You wanted my blessing and the answer is no. Close the gates, party is over_." They hear Elsa say.

"No please…I do not want to remember this night anymore!" Anna says as they watch the scene.

However the pleas go unheard as they watch Anna grab Elsa's hand. The glove is ripped off and they hear Elsa's gasp as she spins back around in panic, "_Give me my glove!_"

"Why? Why couldn't I have just listened?!" Anna demands to Hans as he continues to watch in sick amusement.

Anna holds the glove away from Elsa as Hans responds, "Because you valued how your life was going. You felt like you were living in a prison." He points to the scene again just as the past Anna states desperately, "_Elsa, please. Please. I can't live like this anymore._"

"But look at her! How could I not have seen how this was hurting her?!" Anna yells at him as Elsa fights her tears. Hans just shakes his head not really able to respond to her.

"_Then leave._" They hear the queen say as the whole ballroom went quiet as they watched the fight unfolding in front of them.

There is a brief moment of silence as they watch the hurt that flashes across Anna's face; in fact present Anna was wearing that very look. They watched as Elsa tried to rush away from the room, "_What did I ever do to you?!_" Anna yells at her.

"Oh this is almost my favorite part." Hans mutters.

Anna ignores him as she watches her sister try and assert her authority, "_Enough, Anna._"

"Here it comes…" Hans states with excitement.

"_No. Why? Why do you shut me out?! Why do you shut the world out?! What are you so afraid of?!_" Past Anna yells furiously and desperately. However present Anna winces at the tone of voice she had used. She had no right to talk to her sister like that, especially in front of all those dignitaries.

"_I said, enough!_" Elsa yelled and she waves her hand. Ice shot from Elsa's hand, spikes across the floor. There was a whole uproar as everyone cried in shock at what had just happened and the scene darkens just as Elsa runs away.

"Wow! That gets me every time!" Hans says as he holds his chest.

"Glad you seemed to enjoy it." Anna replies just as bitterly, "This part is up there with the worst nights of my life…"

"Well you finally got the answers you wanted…isn't that what you had always wanted? To get your questions answered?" Hans asked.

"No like this!" Anna yelled as she motioned to the fast changing scenes, "I did not want this!"

Hans smiled evilly, "Yet you got it anyway." He pointed to the ice palace and Anna groaned as she heard herself pleading with her sister to come home.

However the more she watched the more she wished she would wake up from this horrible nightmare; again she was oblivious to Elsa's feelings as she talked about how free she felt, how relaxed she looked, just how sisterly she looked. Yet Anna was going to destroy that all within a matter of seconds, "_Anna, p__lease go back home. Your life awaits, go enjoy the sun and open up the gates_." Elsa says mournfully.

"See that is an act of selflessness. She is letting you go…" Hans trails off.

"Make me feel worst why don't you, please make me feel worse about myself." Anna mutters out as she tried to tell Elsa about what was going on in Arendelle.

"_I know! __You mean well, but leave me be. Yes, I'm alone but I'm alone and free! Just stay away and you'll be safe from me._" Elsa states cutting Anna off.

Here it comes, Anna thinks to herself as she forces herself to watch the scene unfold. She winces as soon as she hears herself say, "_Actually we're not_."

"_What do you mean you're not?_"

"_I get the feeling you don't know_…"

"_What do I not know?_"

Closing her eyes Anna hears the response, "_Arendelle's in deep, deep, deep, deep...snow…_"

"Wow that is how you told her?!" Hans exclaims.

"Yes…shouldn't you have known that if you are a creation from my mind?" Anna asks looking at him.

"Again do not ask me how your mind works." Hans shrugs.

They focus back on the scene as Anna is trying to plead with Elsa about returning to Arendelle. Anna is feeling even more guilty by the minute as she hears Elsa's desperate plea, "_Anna, please, you'll only make it worse!_"

"If only I did not push her! Why?! Why did I have to push her?!" Anna yelled to no one in particular, "Why did I not see I was only making it worse?!"

"Because you are you. It is who you are!" Hans yelled back answering her rhetorical questions anyway, "You wanted to do the right thing! You wanted her to own up to her mistakes and she was refusing too."

Anna did not answer as she continued to watch helplessly as she continued to push her sister into a mental and emotional corner. Then all of a sudden at the climax of their disagreement she watches as Elsa's blizzard worsens all around them until, "_I CAN'T!_"

Her sister's power built up and then all of a sudden shoots right out. Anna and Hans watch as the past Anna gets struck in the heart; however right at the moment past Anna takes a knee while clutching her chest, present Anna is in the same position. She feels the icy sensation rush through her like she was being stabbed multiple times, "Well…well…looks like I am not the only one with a frozen heart now am I?" Hans asks with evil amusement.

Anna can't answer as the scene had disappeared. It lit up and she recognizes the study, the fire place is lit however it is just them in the room…no one else. Anna finds herself on the couch and Hans is pacing before them. Anna was about to speak, but she lets out a violent shiver and suddenly her body feels weak, as if it is shutting down, "How does it feel this time around?" Hans asks.

"Brutal." Anna manages out shakily as Hans turns back to her. He gingerly reaches out to her and she does not have the energy to flinch away as he caresses her now pure white locks.

He smiles, "This is déjà vu isn't it?" Anna knows what he is talking about, and refuses to answer him, "I hope you do not expect me to kiss you…because well you know…" Leaning in closely he whispers in her ears, "If only there was someone out there who loved you."

At this Anna managed to weakly push him away from her, "What is going on?"

"You mind I guess is deciding to let you relive these final moments. The moments that ultimately decided your fate." The study shimmers away as Anna is now on the frozen fjord. Hans is standing over her as she looks around.

The whole scene is frozen. She sees the snow suspended in midair, to the right she sees Kristoff running towards her, and when she looks left she sees Elsa kneeling on the ice looking mortally devastated, "So what are you going to do Anna? You are nearly frozen to death, your true love is running to save you, and your sister is about to die by my hand."

Anna gasped as another shot of pain rushes through her. She watches as Hans walks away from her and over to Elsa. Slowly and deliberately she tries to stand as the memory comes in to play, "_Anna!_" She hears Kristoff's voice as he is barreling towards her.

She looks at him and then hears the drawing of Hans's blade. Turning her head she sees him approaching her sister who is too caught up in her grief to notice her demise. Anna looks between the two. Last time she chose to sacrifice herself to save her sister, this time she could save herself…she could choose Kristoff, "**So you are willing to sacrifice your own sister for your happiness?**" She hears Hans's voice in her head as once again the scene is going to slow motion.

"No," Anna pitifully lets out as she hugs herself closer. Looking at her hands they are once again turning blue, "My heart deserves to be frozen…I am going to let myself freeze…"

"**You do that then you both die**." Hans pauses in his movement as the scene is in slow motion. He is still standing over Elsa and catches her eye this time as he raises his blade just over Elsa's neck.

In that pure moment Anna realizes something…Elsa had told her almost everything that had happened when they returned to the palace. The fight at her ice castle to when she had escaped. There was one thing that Anna had never asked…why Elsa never moved out of the way…why Elsa never realized her imminent demise at the hand of the prince. Anna looked at Kristoff and gave him a look. She made the decision that would make a thousand times over. She started to run over to Hans and Elsa, "_**NO**_!" Anna yelled.

"Too late." Hans said and he brought the sword down as Anna fell forward, "NO!" Anna yelled desperately. She tried desperately to get up, but her limbs would not move. Looking at them she saw that her lower half was already ice, "No please no! This is not how it is supposed to be!"

"Oh but it is honey." Hans said as he came forward to her. They were still on the fjord, Elsa and Kristoff nowhere to be seen, "According to you this is how it is supposed to be. You wished you were still frozen. This is after all how you viewed everything. You felt like you got what you deserved that day. You view your 'act of true love'," He made the air quotes, "as a form of redemption."

Anna was lying in sheer pain as once again she felt the agony of the ice slowly crept up her body, "I saved her…I would never let her die…"

"Yet what just happened in that last scenario?" Hans asked as he knelt down to her level to look at her in the eye.

"Please…" Anna whimpered as she tried to reach out to him as she continued to feel the ice spreading.

Hans stood up, "What do you want me to do? I am not your true love…I am not even real remember? Besides only an act of true love could heal a frozen heart…and sweetheart-" He knelt down one more time, "I never loved you…"

He started to walk away from her, "Hans?!" Anna called out, "Hans!"

All around her it started to darken, "No! Please no! Kristoff?! Help me!" Her heart was racing wildly as ice started to encase her, "Elsa?! Elsa please! Help me! I am sorry! Please I am sorry!"

* * *

Elsa woke up with a start. She looked around at the now slightly brighter room, but before she could even begin questioning the time, there was a pounding on her door, "Elsa please wake up!"

"Kai?!" Elsa called back in alarm. Jumping out of bed she grabbed her robe which she had hung on her closet door from the early morning's adventure. Opening the door she was greeted with the panicked butler, "What happened? What is it?"

"Anna, she-" Before Kai could finish they heard another loud scream, "I AM SORRY!"

Heart catching in her throat Elsa ran out of her room and to her sister's room. When she arrived she saw Kristoff and Olaf standing helplessly in the doorway as Gerda was trying to wake the princess who was trapped in what appeared to be a nightmare. Anna was thrashing in her bed, her eyes were closed, and face contorted in pain and agony, but her hair…Elsa let out a small gasp…her sister's hair was stark white. Before she could process anything else, Anna's painful screams echoed, "ELSA PLEASE HELP ME! I AM SORRY!"

Elsa shook herself and ran into room, shoving Kristoff and Olaf out of the way and when she reached the bed, she nearly pushed Gerda off, "Shush, Anna." Elsa's hand stroked Anna's cheek as she continues nice and soft, "Its' okay, its' not real. Come back Anna, come back to me…to us," She gently crooned into her ear, her hand still stroking her cheek. Anna's screams toned down, but she was still trapped in the nightmare as she started to cry. It was not as loud, but it was still desperate.

"Please I am sorry. I didn't mean to push you. I didn't mean for this to happen. I am sorry…please…Elsa…Kristoff…Olaf…anybody…please…" Anna whimpered and even though the thrashing stopped, Anna let out a violent shiver.

"Elsa?" Kristoff called out gently. Elsa just barely was able to turn away from Anna too look at the ice master, "May we-" He did not finish, but motioned between himself and Olaf who was looking just as scared.

Elsa motioned for them to come in and he and Olaf sat on the bed, "Anna, please we are here for you." Kristoff said gently as he took Anna's hand, however as soon as he touched it he got a panicked look to his face, "Elsa she is ice cold!"

"What?" Elsa asked not realizing this fact before since she was so immune to the cold.

"Anna please wake up." Olaf said worried completely ignoring the exchange between the queen and ice master.

Anna let out another cry, "Please cold…so cold…Elsa…where are you…? Hans…"

This got Elsa's attention once more, "Anna we are here honey. Please you have to wake up…come on I am here…wake up."

"Elsa?" Anna started to stutter out again, "El-sa…"

Elsa was almost elated that is until Anna started to shiver violently again, "Elsa we have to do something…look." Kristoff said as he showed Elsa Anna's hands.

Elsa gasped. Her sister's hands were starting to become frostbitten and she started to see the snowflake patter that started at her finger tips, "What should we do?" Kai asked urgently.

Elsa looked between everyone as her mind drew a blank; she had no idea what to do and everyone was looking at her as if she should. Seeing her sister shaking again drew her attention, "Please wake up. Come back to me Anna. You can do it honey, please." Elsa gently pleaded again, "Come on, Anna. Wake up. Wake up for me, sweetie."

"Don't leave me…" Anna begged, "Please don't shut me out again…I am sorry…so sorry…my fault…it was my fault…please save me…forgive me…"

"Elsa." Olaf's urgent voice broke through the crying and immediately everyone gasped. The covers were already thrown off the bed to reveal the lower half of Anna's body which was now starting to freeze.

Elsa's mind immediately flashed to the fjord, where she was crying into the statue of her frozen sister, "Anna…no not again…I will not let this happen again…" Turning back to her sister she said, "Anna please I forgive you although there is nothing to forgive. Please wake up!"

"Elsa…Kristoff…"

"Anna come on sweetheart! I love you! Please wake up!" Kristoff yelled as he tried to lightly slap his girlfriend's cheek.

"Please Anna I love you too…wake up!" Elsa demanded as she immediately pushed Kristoff out of the way seeing as she was no longer responding to him, "Anna please, come on sweetie. I am not going to allow you to be an ice statue again!"

"ELSA!" Anna yelled again, "PLEASE!"

"Wake up Anna!" Elsa was now in Anna's face as she delivered the final hard slap to Anna's cheek.

Then finally without warning Anna sat up quickly, causing Elsa to move out of the way a little before Anna knocked her head into hers. Kristoff and Olaf gasped as they had jumped off the bed and rejoined Kai and Gerda over by the door.

Anna's lower half of her body had thawed, but she was still shivering violently as her eyes roamed the room until they landed on Elsa's face. With a small cry of relief, she flung himself at her, her arms wrapping around her stomach as she pressed her face into her chest and gathered in sharp, breathless gasps. Elsa was shocked at first, but then allowed herself to wrap her arm around the younger girl's shoulder and cradled her head, running her hand through her long hair, "It's ok Anna…it's ok…you're ok…I got you…" However in a distant part of her mind, she remembers the last time she held Anna like this…only the younger woman was unconscious and the older woman was repeating those same words. The onlookers stood awkwardly and shared a loaded glance. Giving the moment a bit longer they left the room, giving the two heartbroken sisters some privacy.


	16. Going for a Ride

Sorry for the delay, but school got in the way as it is getting closer to the end of the semester. This might be the last chapter until I am done with school, but we shall see dearies. So just looking for some feedback: how did you like Hans? Did I do him justice and keep to his 'charming' character? And also would you like him back in the story?

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Fifteen: Going for a ride**

The morning sun, as if trying to make a mockery of the earlier situation, now fully lit the room as the Queen wore a pained expression on her face as she looked at her younger sister, who had cried herself back into what looked like a deep slumber; which is totally contrary as to what it was before. The only comfort that Elsa took in was that her sister's hair had gone back to normal: the strawberry blonde coloring with that one lone streak, "How is she?" Elsa didn't have to turn to face the speaker to know who it was.

"She cried herself back to sleep;" Elsa said softly as she gently shifted Anna's bangs away from her sister's eyes.

Kristoff took this as permission to enter the Princess's room and in deed it looked like Anna had fallen back to sleep. He however winced at the dry tear tracks that were on his girlfriend's face, "I was planning on going to Grand Pabbie and telling him what happened. Maybe he could help us." Kristoff stated, "Since well that was no normal nightmare."

Elsa took her eyes off her sister and looked at him. She noticed that he was already dressed in his winter-gear. She was about to respond when there was a gentle knock on the door. Both of their heads turned to see Kai standing in the doorway, "I am sorry to intrude, but there is a meeting with the council in a half hour your Majesty."

"Tell them we have to reschedule." Elsa said firmly looking back at Anna and gently grabbed her sister's hand. After this morning's episode there was no way she was going to leave her sister's bedside.

Kai stepped in the room and said, "Forgive me but I cannot. You already had to reschedule two times. The first was when you had to ah…rescue…the princess and the second time was for yesterday." Elsa did not speak, so Kai continued, "Please your Majesty. I know how important your sister is to you, however you do have a kingdom to run as well."

Kristoff saw the dark look cross Elsa's face, "I can watch her." He offered.

"I thought you just said that you were going to Pabbie." Elsa said looking at him.

"I can do that after you come back from the meeting." Kristoff said as he shrugged his heavy winter jacket off and took his place on the opposite side of the bed, "He is right Elsa you do have a kingdom to run."

Elsa was torn. It was not that she did not trust Kristoff; it was that she wanted to be there for Anna when she woke up or to wake her up if there was another nightmare. However seeing that both men had a point, Elsa was forced to back down from her previous decision, "Ok." Standing up she looked at both men, "However if anything major happens, I am to be told about it; regardless if I am still in that meeting or not. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Both men stated as Elsa looked back at Anna. She fixed the covers and then kissed her sister's forehead like their mother used to do, "I will see you later Anna." Anna shifted in her sleep and let out a sigh.

"She will be ok." Kristoff said trying to ease the Queen's worries. Elsa nodded in thanks and followed Kai out of the room.

* * *

Kristoff sighed as he heard the chiming of the clock, signaling that it was a quarter passed eleven. He knew that Elsa must still be in the meeting and some servants came in asking if he wanted anything or how the princess was fairing. He would politely decline any snacks and beverages, and then give them an easy smile when they would question the princess's well-being. Getting up he looked out into the bright and cheerful winter day, and then he looked at his sleeping girlfriend. It had then suddenly occurred to him how still Anna was lying. She had not moved since Elsa had essentially left and that unnerved him. Quite a few times when they would go out on dates to a nice serene lakeside or meadow, they would end up falling asleep and he would always wake up to her sporadic sharp movements in her sleep which would often result him being slapped in the face if she was lying on top of him. With this thought in mind, he went back over to her and leaned over and internally let out a sigh of relief as he felt her breath on his cheek. Pulling back he gently grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, "I love you Anna." He whispered and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Kristoff?" He heard her question weakly as he pulled back from her. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her eyes flutter open.

He sat down on the bed as she turned on to her back and tried to sit up. Seeing what she was trying to do, he helped her sit up, "Hi there feisty pants." He greeted her softly and giving her a light smile.

She smiled weakly back at him, and somehow that did not sit right with him as she said, "Hey Mr. Iceman." Seeing how he was not giving her his usual smile anymore she asked, "You ok?"

"I should be asking you that." He said looking at her tired eyes. He noticed the dark circles that hung beneath her eyes and then took in how red they were in general. In fact just looking at her, everything had clicked for him, "This is not the first nightmare you had is it?" He finally asked.

Anna flinched at his accusatory voice, "No."

"How long?" Kristoff asked.

"Since we got back." Anna admitted to him after a brief moment of silence. It was true, while her sister still blamed herself for everything, she too had nightmares. However compared to the one she had just experienced made the rest look like happy kittens and rainbows. Seeing the alarmed look on Kristoff's face, Anna back tracked, "But none were like this…which by the way…did I-I mean was I really…?" She did not know how to ask, but hoped he would understand.

Apparently he did, because his response was, "Yes. I was the first to your room, I was coming inside after I tucked Sven in and I heard you thrashing. I tried to wake you up, but you started screaming which alerted Gerda and Kai. After that you just got worse, your hair turned white, and you started pleading for Elsa, so Kai went to get her. You started to calm down, but in the process you started to…"

Anna held up her hand to stop Kristoff from talking. She did not need to hear the rest to know what had happened. All she wanted was the confirmation part of she had experienced in her mind. Kristoff was watching her closely and got the courage to ask, "Why did you not tell us?"

"I didn't want to trouble you or Elsa." Anna muttered.

He shook his head and stood up, "You should have told us Anna. I wish you would have told us. We agreed that there would be no more secrets! You complained to us about keeping secrets, yet here you are keeping them yourself!"

"It was not that big of a deal at the time." Anna stated low and firmly trying to bite back how tired and weak she felt as she tried to sit up more. However when she was unfroze before, she felt fine after a few moments, but now she felt extremely weak, "Besides what I kept is not as big as what you two kept from me."

Kristoff pinched the nose as he turned his back on her, "This is your health Anna. It is a bigger deal." Anna through the covers back and tried to stand up. Using the bed post as crutch, she managed to stand straight and tall. Kristoff chose this moment to turn and face her, "What are you doing now?! You should be-"

"No, I will not be scolded like some child." Kristoff marveled at how regal like Anna sounded, but underneath the tone he could also hear how weak she was as well, "I did not tell you guys because I did not want you to worry about me. I did not want to appear weak, and you know what else? I did not want to be a burden ok? And have you ever thought that I was used to dealing with these things by myself?"

Kristoff kept silent for a moment. He supposed she did have a point, but…no! What was he thinking? "You are not alone though." He said softly but firmly, "Besides you have had these nightmares since we have gotten back?"

"Yes ok? Yes I have had these nightmares since I have gotten back, but again not to this extent and I had always managed to wake up before they escalated." Anna groaned out as she went over to her closet and pulled out a simple dress, "Before you ask, no I do not want to talk about it."

Kristoff groaned, "Anna, what are you doing? You should be resting."

"I am done resting; besides I need to find Elsa and let her know I am ok." Anna said as she pulled out a simple casual dress, "Anyway where is Elsa?" she asked him.

"In an overdue meeting with the council," Kristoff stated answering her question as she made her way to her bathroom, "but why go to her when I can get Kai to get her for you. She did tell us that we were supposed to get her if something major happened."

"Because then she is going to be telling me I should be resting-"

"Which you should because you look like death right now…no offense…" Kristoff added seeing Anna's glare at him.

"And be a mother hen." Anna finished as if she had not heard what he had said.

Kristoff placed a hand on her shoulder as she was about to step into her bathroom, "We are just worried about you. She is worried about you. You nearly turned to ice again…this time there was no magic involved, Elsa was not involved…"

"But she was Kristoff," Seeing him raise an eyebrow in confusion she let out a groan. Leading him over to her bed she sat down, then a few moments later Kristoff joined her, "This was no normal nightmare," Anna resigned finally as she looked at her hands. She was trying to avoid looking at Kristoff, "It was my memories."

"Your memories?" Kristoff asked confused. He was trying to remain calm as he saw Anna tense up again.

"Yes," she whispered out as she tried to block those moments from her mind, "I was an on looker, just watching it all happen again. However I was not alone," Anna glanced at him this time. He slowly reached for her hand and took it in his. He gave her hand an encouraging squeeze along with a nod, "Hans was with me…we were both watching and commenting." Kristoff frowned darkly, but Anna did not notice this as she continued to tell him what happened.

* * *

Elsa growled in frustration as she stormed down the hall. There was a slight layer of ice that followed her, but she did not care. The meeting to her knowledge before was supposed to go for about an hour…it lasted two, and that was only because there was no consensus on how to take care of the newer countries that wanted to trade with Arendelle. If only it was not for Lord Foreman, Elsa thought bitterly. He was the problem one who always had to shoot everything down that she or the other lords had to say. In fact, as Elsa was recalling this, it was the same lord that had berated her sister when their parents died about Arendelle's affairs.

This thought alone brought the Queen up short as light snow started to fall around her in the corridor. Her sister…all she had wanted to do today was to take care of Anna. Just that thought brought a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as the early morning's event came to her. What on Earth caused her sister to start freezing again? She looked at her own hands and then around the corridor. Taking a deep breath, she managed to calm herself down and the snow and ice disappeared. Seeing her sister's door up ahead she approached it. As she approached it, she was about to raise her fist to knock lightly when she heard Anna say, "And that was when she struck my heart." Elsa was elated at the prospect of hearing her sister's not crying voice. However that elatedness was short lived when she heard the tone and replayed what Anna had said.

Elsa lowered her fist when she heard Kristoff's response, "So you felt that?"

"Yes. It was like a thousand knives piercing my heart. I mean I do not remember feeling that much pain initially, like the first time around…but when I had felt it again…it was brutal. Then the next thing I know, Hans and I are back in the study." Anna said.

Elsa heard movement and knew that someone was pacing, which she knew was Anna. Elsa took a step away from the door, but did not leave. Instead she was kept rooted to the spot as Anna continued, "It was déjà vu Kristoff. It felt very real; in fact I think it was real. He repeated those words to me…" Elsa could tell that Anna was close to crying again. She wanted to go in there, but somehow knew that if she did, Anna would shut down; but the next words that came out of Anna's mouth caused the Queen to slide down the door completely devastated, "He said that he hoped I was not expecting him to kiss me and then added 'If only there was someone out there who loved you'."

Elsa covered her mouth to try and muffle a sob. She heard the bed springs creak and knew that Kristoff must have gotten up, "Anna you have multiple people, snowmen, and reindeer who love you."

"I know that, but Kristoff I was literally reliving these last moments. I-we-were no longer spectators; we were actually living that moment, he told me so." Anna said. Elsa could picture her sister now. She had probably pushed away from Kristoff's gentle embrace, "After he had told me that the study had vanished and we are on the fjord. At first time is like frozen…haha really bad pun." Elsa allowed a small smirk; her sister really did make a bad pun.

"Anna…" She heard Kristoff groan.

"Right sorry, anyway on the fjord. Hans is standing over me and I look to the right to see you running toward me. I then look left and see Elsa kneeling on the ice…" Elsa hears Anna's voice catch in her throat and she closes her eyes as if trying to picture what Anna saw in her nightmare, "Hans says that this time around I have a choice."

"A choice?"

Elsa opens her eyes and listens closely, "Yes. He said that my situation was the same as it was before. I was freezing to death, my true love was running toward me to save me, and that my sister was about to die by his hand. He asked me what I was going to do."

It was quiet in the room now. No one was moving or speaking as Anna's situation was being processed, "What did you choose?" Kristoff asked.

Anna did not speak, which made Elsa nervous. She knew that a very light snow started to fall again, but she did not care as she found herself now leaning against the door with her ear pressed to it, "I watched as Hans walked away from me and over to Elsa. Time started back up and you called out to me. I look at you as you called out to me. It was then that I realized that if this was my second chance, I could choose you. I could have saved myself and could have been with you…"

This was said barely above a whisper, but Elsa heard it all the same and it was like a knife through her heart as she slid down the door. Pressing her back against it she carefully rested her head on the wood and closed her eyes. She did not blame her sister, after all everything that happened was her fault. "_Your sister is dead! She said you froze her heart!_" Hans's voice echoed in her head, "But when I thought that I hear Hans asking if I would really sacrifice Elsa for my own happiness."

"Of course you wouldn't. You would save her. Anna I know you, if that is what happened-" Kristoff tried to say.

"I almost didn't Kristoff!" Anna yelled suddenly causing Elsa to jump up from her sitting position, "I was going to let myself freeze. That is what my choice was. My choice was that I was going to let myself freeze." Anna repeated.

"What?!" Kristoff asked. Elsa wanted to yell out the same thing, but wisely kept silent. The snow flurry that had started was frozen in mid-air as she listened closely.

"I had said that my heart deserved to be frozen. That I was going to let myself freeze. Everything was my fault Kristoff, what anyone says does not matter. However Hans told me that both of us would die. I saw him standing over Elsa and he raised his sword just over her neck. It was then that I realized that Elsa knew what he was doing, that she was not caught up in her own grief to notice…she was really going to allow him to kill her…I couldn't-" Anna cut herself off and Elsa hung her head in shame. She never told Anna how she willingly accepted death, "I try and run over to her and save her like the last time, but it was too late. Hans…he…"

It was silent and once again Elsa slid down the door and pressed her back against it, "I fell to the ground and my whole bottom half began to freeze. Everything starts to disappear about me. Hans says that according to me it was how everything was supposed to be. I wished I was still frozen, that I believe I had deserved what I had gotten that day. That I viewed my 'act of true love' as a form of redemption."

"Anna you would never have allowed that to happen. Besides it was just a nightmare."

"Was it Kristoff?" Anna countered back, "Because I am pretty sure I was freezing in this reality as you just said. Besides that is what I had said. I would have never allowed Elsa to die, yet that is what had happened. Anyway I tried to plead for him for help; but he said he was not my true love and that only an act of true love can heal a frozen heart and he didn't love me. After that I was left all alone and that is when I started freezing."

There was silence for a moment as they allowed everything to sink in, "Anna-" Kristoff tried to say.

"Kristoff just leave please. I am going to get changed and go for a ride or something." Anna said tiredly.

"I think you should tell Elsa this." Kristoff said not moving.

"Yea and what is she going to do about it?" Elsa flinched as she heard Anna's tone, "There is nothing to be done. It is not like we can go back in time and change the course of history. Otherwise I would go back to that night and tell my younger self to go back to sleep and leave her alone. Screw building the snowman, screw playing in the ballroom, and just screw everything!"

"Anna you do not mean that," Kristoff said softly, "you are just still upset. You and Elsa love those memories and you were both young. Neither of you could have seen the outcomes of that night."

"But I was selfish and this experience proves my point," Elsa figured that Kristoff was about to argue back because she heard Anna say, "Please Kristoff, just go away. I am done talking about this. If you see Elsa, just tell her I am awake and I just want to be left alone for a bit."

"Where should I tell her you are going?" She heard Kristoff asked in a resigned tone.

"I am going for a ride on Pharis and that I will be back before dinner." With that she heard another door close and jumping up when she heard the handle turn she was met face to face with the ice harvester.

His face was saddened and dejected as he looked at her tear stained face, "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." Elsa responded as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

They walked in silence for a bit until they found themselves outside, "I am still going to see Grand Pabbie…maybe he can still help." Kristoff said as they made their way to the stables.

Elsa patted Sven's nose as she gave him a carrot. Elsa had remained quiet, "She still cannot forgive herself, and I mean I shouldn't really be talking, but she shouldn't have to feel like this."

"Both of you should not have to feel like this." Kristoff said as he hooked up the sleigh, "However both of you need to find some other way to connect instead of pulling apart." Looking at her this time he pointed to the castle as they saw Anna walking toward them, "Even if Pabbie can help, you two are going to have to work together to come to some sort of understanding."

Seeing that Elsa was looking uncertain he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You are sisters Elsa and both of you are hurting. You two managed to overcome bigger obstacles than this."

"I thought that too, I thought yesterday we reach an understanding." Elsa muttered out as Kristoff started to get into the sleigh.

"Well something set her off again, just push through it as much as you can. Tell Anna I will be back soon. Good luck." Turning to Sven he flicked the reins, "Go Sven!" With that the reindeer took off.

Elsa sighed and looked back up to see Anna who was now talking to Olaf. Shaking her head she debated on going into the castle, but then thought better of it. Going into the stables she approached Pharis. He looked up from his hay and gave the Queen a reproachful look. Frowning Elsa looked around and saw Sven's stall and removed a carrot and held it out to the horse, "I come in peace?" Elsa asked.

Again Pharis gave the Queen a suspicious look as he sniffed the carrot. Letting out a snort he carefully took the carrot from her. Elsa smiled and recalled Anna's story about how she managed to gain the horse's trust. Gently she held out her hand to him. Pharis stopped chewing and eyed her sharply. Elsa held her breath as he swallowed the carrot and sniffed her hand and pulled his back leaving the Snow Queen slightly disappointed. She looked out the stable window to see if Anna was still coming toward them, but she was still busy with Olaf who looked like was telling her a story.

Turning back to the horse she asked, "You know who I am right? I am Anna's sister..." She was watching the horse and swore that he just rolled his eyes at her as if saying 'Well no duh! Of course I know who you are!'

Elsa sighed and sat down on a chair, "You probably know my sister better than I do. You know her secrets, what makes her tick, just what makes her well…unique." The horse perked his ears at the Queen's words signifying that he was listening. Elsa looked down, "I am such a horrible sister."

The horse stepped closer so he was at the edge of the stall and gave the queen a 'you got to be kidding me?' look; which he let her know by snorting. Elsa saw this and shook her head, "No I am. I mean I do not know anything about her, and she kind of refuses to tell me like she is afraid of making me feel guilty."

Pharis pounded his hoof in protest and Elsa let out a laugh, "I wish you could talk." Elsa stated, "I could use some advice and help."

"You know what they say about wishes," Elsa spun around to see Anna leaning up against the door, "it involves magic which comes with a price. So would you really want to pay that price?"

"If it will help me get to know you better then yes. I would pay any price." Elsa said firmly while narrowing her eyes at her sister.

Neither of them noticed that Pharis was watching them closely. He could see the pain in his rider's eyes as she looked at the platinum blonde woman. However when the woman was talking with him, he began to feel sorry for her. It reminded him of when he first met his rider, the same pain that he heard and saw within her eyes was directly reflected back in the woman's eyes that was just talking to him. Internally he sighed, he knew what he had to do, as much as he hated it, he could not bear to see them upset.

Anna ignored the look and stepped around her sister and over to Pharis. She pats his nose with affection, "There is really nothing to know Elsa. I am just me…nothing less and certainly nothing more."

"Nothing more? You are wrong Anna, there is so much more to you than you think." Elsa said as she watches her saddle Pharis up. She looks at her sister now and notices that she is not in a dress, but a simple pair of pants, riding boots, and a quilted heavy riding jacket. Her hair is still done up in her regular two braids, but when Elsa looks closely she sees that her sister's eyes are still red and notices the slight dark circles under her eyes.

Anna has nothing in response to that so instead she kept quiet, "Where are you going?" Elsa asks.

"To the riding field, I need to blow off some steam." Anna says as she leads Pharis out of the stall. The horse nudges his rider with his nose, "What? You do not want to go for a ride?"

The horse shakes his head, "Looks like a no." Elsa says smirking.

Anna eyes the horse and he shoots her a look. She frowns in response and he sighs. He moves one ear in the queen's direction and then moves it back to her, "You want her to come?" Anna asks out loud.

"Wait what?" Elsa asks suddenly as she was busy trying to hide a laugh. Pharis nods his head, "Oh no, I couldn't possibly-"

"If she does come you have to let her ride you, because she doesn't know how to ride a horse." Anna says to Pharis, knowing how he only allowed the interaction because the situation was life and death at the time. Pharis stands straight and tall showing he would behave, "Well ok then…" Anna sighs.

Elsa notices how her sister was hoping for some alone time so she tries to get out of it, "You know if you wanted to be alone-"

"No it is ok. If Pharis wants you to come then I guess it is ok. Although what has gotten into him, I have no idea." Anna said as she looked at her horse.

Elsa looks at the horse too and sees a glimmer in his eyes as he looks at her. Suddenly a flash of understanding flows through her and immediately she feels grateful to the horse, looks like she had just gotten her wish after all, "Well ok then."

Anna mounts Pharis first and then helps Elsa up, "Ok we are going to go slow ok. We are not in a life or death situation." Anna says as Elsa had death gripped her around the stomach.

"Right sorry." Elsa loosens her hold and Anna commands Pharis forward, "Where exactly is the field?"

"Just a few miles outside of Arendelle," Anna replied, "It used to be the old training ground for when they were recruiting people to be in the royal guard."

Elsa nodded as they were now going for a light trot through the forest. She figured that Anna did not want to cut through town, "How did you find it?"

"Papa told me about it when I would complain about not being able to use the field that the guards train on for riding or being able to ride in the woods. He would say that I would get lost in the woods and that the field was for the guards only."

"What was wrong with the little riding area that we have?" Elsa asked.

"That is not enough room for Pharis. That area is good to help tame the newer horses, but not enough room for them to actually stretch and ride, so one day he led me out here and said that as long as I had supervision I would be allowed out here. Of course as I got older I never really asked, I just did when I felt the need to escape." Anna explained. Seeing that Anna didn't really want to talk anymore, Elsa remained silent as they traveled to the field.


	17. One Wild Ride

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Sixteen: One Wild Ride**

"This is not your fight my boy," the elder troll said to Kristoff.

Kristoff shook his head and sat back on his heels, "You have to do something. Anything to help them…help her! Pabbie she nearly froze again and there was no magic involved!"

"But there was." Pabbie stated ominously as he held his hands out. Kristoff grabbed them and the older troll closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath he released the ice harvester's hands and waved his in the air. Like so many times before, Kristoff saw images swirling in the magic, "Anna stated that she was experiencing the memories toward the end;" Kristoff saw the events at the ice palace unfold once more as Elsa's powers spiral out of control and end up hitting Anna in the heart.

Kristoff nodded as the image vanishes, "Yes she said that Hans said that her mind was forcing itself to remember, almost as if it was fighting the bind you placed on her mind."

"She also said that toward the end she was given a chance at a choice." Pabbie reminded him gently, "These combinations along with the added stress essentially brought the magic to life. So she really was experiencing the events all over again."

"Which is precisely why I have to help her; help them! There must be something you can do!" Kristoff pleaded as Bulda and Cliff went over to 'their' son.

Pabbie nodded and led the trio over to a small secluded area. The other trolls took this as a sign that the show was over and went about their own business; before Kristoff could talk again Pabbie held up his hand to silence him. He then waved his hand and out of the ground a small well arose. Magically summoning two small vials, he muttered an incantation and the liquid inside the well turned blue, "You will give these to the Queen and the Princess," Pabbie instructed as he filled on of the vials up, "they have to drink the potion before bed."

"What will happen to them?" Cliff asked for Kristoff as the old troll handed them to the ice harvester.

"They will experience a dreamless sleep," Pabbie said, "but they will also have a clarity they never had before."

Kristoff looked at his 'parents' and then looked at the older troll, "So this will not only help them with their problem, but with Anna's nightmares too?"

"Queen Elsa's panic attack had somehow triggered Anna's nightmare." Pabbie said, "They are interrelated so yes this potion will essentially help them. However it can only do so much, the rest of it is for them to work out on their own."

"Thank you." Kristoff said gratefully for the older troll's help.

"You are welcome. Now make sure they take that immediately before bed." Pabbie said as they walked him back to Sven who was playing with the troll kids.

Kristoff nodded, "Be safe and do not be a stranger." Bulda said as he knelt back down to hug her.

"Tell Anna and Elsa we hope they feel better soon." Cliff said also giving him a hug.

"Will do." Kristoff said as he bid his good-byes. Mounting Sven, he gave the command to go and the trolls watched as the reindeer took off.

"Think they will get it right this time?" Bulda asked looking at the old troll.

Pabbie shrugged, "For everyone's sake I hope so."

"I never heard of a heart being frozen without someone actually striking it." Cliff said curiously.

"Honestly?" Pabbie questioned as they both looked at him now, "Neither have I."

"So how do we know that potion is going to work?" Bulda questioned as Pabbie started to walk away.

"We have to have faith that their love is strong enough to thaw." Pabbie said his voice mournful.

Bulda and Cliff held hands as they watched their leader walked away and then looked to where their son had ridden off, hoping that for his sake and for the sake of the sisters that everything works out.

In the meantime Elsa watches from a small seating area in the old training arena as Anna and Pharis perform a variety of agility exercises. She watched in amazement at how Anna could sometimes be so unbelievably clumsy, to looking so confident and graceful on a horse. She watched as Anna and Pharis jumped over different obstacles of different heights. Some were as short as a small fence and others were almost as half as tall as a man. Elsa sighed wishing that she could do what Anna was doing. Leaning forward so she could watch Anna's movements more closely, she reflected how their father wanted her to try learning, "_It would give you a bit more respect_." He had once told her why she should learn. However Elsa shook her head and declined saying that she was afraid of losing control of her powers on a horse, not only that but being on a horse had brought back bad memories to that night being on their mother's horse to see the troll when she had-

Shaking her head she stopped that thought. She refused to think about that night. The whole point of being out here was to find a way to help support Anna, not dwell on her own self-induced guilt. Focusing back on her sister she stood straight up in alarm, "Anna!" Elsa yelled in fright. Anna had literally stood on Pharis's back and they were cantering at a fast pace around the arena. However Anna did not seem to hear her; before Elsa could do anything, Anna jumped off of Pharis's back and did a summersault in the air and somehow managed to land on her own two feet, seemingly unharmed.

Elsa ran down to the area where he sister was at, "ANNA!" Anna turned to see Elsa storming over to her as Pharis slowed to a trot seeing that his rider was not going to chase after him like she normally did. He then turned his head to see why she was not chasing after him…the Snow Queen was mad for some reason.

"What? I was not done yet. Are you not enjoying the show?" Anna asked as she grabbed Pharis's reins and met her sister half way.

"You gave me a heart attack!" Anna winced, but Elsa did not notice, "What the hell are you thinking standing on a horse and flipping off of one like that?!"

Anna composed herself and looked at Pharis who was also giving her a 'what the hell' look, "Relax Elsa I've done these stunts tons of times before. In fact I learned it from Reynolds."

"Someone actually taught you that?!" Elsa again yelled.

Pharis reared up unexpectedly as a sudden burst of snow came out of nowhere. Anna was quick and stood between Elsa and Pharis, "Easy Pharis. It's ok." Getting her horse to calm down, Anna glared at her sister. However seeing that Elsa was just as scared, she softened her glare, but still looked sternly at her sister, "You need to calm down a bit too. It is not a good idea to spook a horse. Now take a deep breath." Elsa closed her eyes and did as she was told, however the image of her younger sister pulling such a dangerous stunt still lingered in her mind's eye.

Still seeing Elsa was really tense, Anna started to feel guilty all over again. All she ever did was hurt her sister; she had been watching Elsa out of the corner of her eye the whole time she and Pharis were doing the agility exercises. They had done different jumps and movements and it had looked like Elsa was really impressed with her. So she had figured why not do the vaulting tricks that Reynolds had taught her in secret? Reynolds had been the only guard that had taught Anna anything about horse tricks and pretty much anything that could be of use in a dire situation when she had asked. Of course he made her promise never to: One- tell anyone that he taught her any of this and two- never to try anything dangerous unless someone (namely him) was watching her closely. She had kept number one a secret until now when she just told Elsa (but that didn't matter now, she thought mournfully) and number two was kept for a good number of years until he deemed her a professional.

Looking around she waited until her sister's tense posture relaxed, "A bit better?" Anna asked her voice laced with guilt.

"Yes, but not even close." Elsa stated eyes narrowed at Anna.

Anna looked away again, except this time it was at the sky. She estimated the time to be late in the afternoon, still time before dinner…she mused to herself, but looking back at Elsa, she could see a long talk was going to start. So she mounted on Pharis, "What do you think you are doing? We are still discussing your crazy suicidal stunt!"

"Just hop on. I know a place that is more suitable to discuss this. Just please…" Anna added softly seeing Elsa was not going to agree.

Elsa groaned and was about to decline, but seeing her sister looking so guilt ridden and then back at the horse, she saw his eyes glimmer. She relented after about a minute, "Fine help me up." Anna held her hand out and Elsa grabbed it and took her position, "Just no crazy stunts!"

Anna winced and nodded. She commanded Pharis to move and the horse slowly trotted out of the arena. They rode in silence for five minutes through the woods. Elsa noticed that they were going up higher in elevation, "Anna where are we going?" Elsa asked curiously all previous aggravation and anger not as strong as before.

"You know you had your Ice Palace?" Anna asked.

"Yes?" Elsa questioned sadly as she remembered it crumbling before her every eyes.

"Well we are going to my secret palace." Anna said as she led them further up the hill.

Elsa said nothing more and just pondered over her sister's words; her secret palace? "Just how many secret areas do you know?" Elsa muttered out not realizing that she spoke this out loud.

"I am chalk full of surprises." Anna smiled sadly looking back at her sister's embarrassed face, "But I am guessing you didn't want me to hear that so I will pretend that I didn't."

Turning back around Anna continued leading the horse as Elsa just took in the beautiful winter scenery. Soon the snow would turn into spring, Elsa sighed as she tried to imagine what Anna saw on the warm spring days she would come up here, which again brought back another memory for her, "_I had heard a curious riddle today your grace._" Kai had told their parents one day.

"_Really? Let's hear it_." Her father had answered the servant.

"_When the snow melts, what does it become?_" Kai had asked their father as he served their parents their tea.

It was before the accident and they were spending family time together. She and Anna had been drawing on the floor by the fire place and their parents had been reading, "_Water_." Elsa and the adults had answered automatically.

"_Try again_." Kai had said to them smiling.

However they were both clueless. They had looked at one another and mouthed the question again to each other. However that is when Anna started laughing while holding her sides, "_What's so funny Anna?_" Their mother had asked gently while smiling.

Elsa smiled as she recalled Anna laughing harder. It had been infectious then as it was now, which brought her to smile some more behind her sister's back, "_You guys are what is funny. Isn't it obvious_?" She had replied giving them a toothy broad grin.

"_Tell us oh wise one,_" their father had joked as he knelt before the girl, "_When snow melts what does it become?_" He repeated as if asking a wise sage what the secret of life was.

"_Water…it has to become water. What else can it become_?" Elsa had questioned looking at the butler, but he had shaken his head.

"_No Elsie! It becomes spring!_" Anna had exclaimed which brought everyone laughing as Kai had proclaimed her right.

"Whoa!" Present Anna's voice jumped Elsa right out of her thoughts as the horse was brought to a sudden halt, "We have to walk on foot from here." Anna said before Elsa could ask what was wrong as she had gotten down.

"Why?" Elsa asked curiously as she too got down with a bit of help from her younger sister.

"Because I want it to be special, also I do not want Pharis to slip on the rocks that are underneath the snow and ice." Anna explained. Looking at her horse she said, "Go ahead Pharis, you know where to go." She gave him a slight push ahead of them.

Pharis looked at them and nodded as he trudged forward in front of them. Anna allowed him some space and looking at her sister, she motioned them forward. Anna was in deep thought as she was watching her sister out of the corner of her eye. She was still guilty for causing her sister's distress earlier. That is all she seemed to be doing or have done in the past. Anna sighed as they drew closer to her 'secret palace'; taking a few more larger steps than her sister, she standing in the small little opening, effectively blocking the path and her sister's sight, "Ok I want you to close your eyes." Anna said.

"Why?" Elsa asked raising an eyebrow.

"I want it to be special." Anna said sincerely trying to make up for her mistake, although she knew that she was still going to get a stern talking to. However to her relief, Elsa sighed and closed her eyes. Anna reached out and grabbed her sister's cold hands and gently led her forward. Anna smiled as she inhaled the crisp cool air and smiled as she led them over to the small cliff. Bringing Elsa in front of her and placed her just right she then released her sister's hands.

"Can I open them?" Elsa asked, her tone suggested annoyance, but Anna saw her smirk.

Anna stepped behind her sister just to make sure, and placed her two hands on the young Queen's shoulders, "Yes go ahead."

Elsa opened her eyes and gasped at the marvelous view of Arendelle, "Oh Anna…" She breathed out as she took in the scenery, "This is better than the view in Sangria-La."

"Yea I thought so too," Anna said smiling as pushed some snow away with her foot to reveal some grass. She sat down and Elsa looked at her and shook her head, "What?"

"I can make a chair you know…" Elsa waved her hand and two ice chairs appeared. Anna smiled and got up and sat in her chair and together they faced the city, "So where did Pharis go and where is this palace?"

Anna shifted in her chair and point to a small area behind her, "There is another clearing back there with a cave, watering hole, and a hot spring. I believe it is in the same or close to the same territory as Kristoff's family lives in."

"How do you figure?" Elsa asked as she looked to where Anna was pointing curiously.

"Because after I saw the trolls when well…" Anna did not need to explain further because Elsa knew what she was trying to convey, "I noticed after that how it never snowed in that area. So either it is protected magically or it is really just too hot for the snow to linger. I like to think it is magic!"

Of course you would, Elsa thought to herself, "So you called that area your secret palace?" Elsa asked out loud. Anna nodded with enthusiasm, "I am almost afraid to ask, but how exactly did you find this place?"

Anna bowed her head now and looked out to Arendelle, "Reynolds brought me here." The sentence came out in a whisper that Elsa looked at her sister. She saw guilt in her eyes, almost as if she was betraying a secret.

Elsa sighed, while she did admire Anna's loyalty to the guard she still had to make sure Anna understood the repercussions, "You scared me half to death Anna." Elsa said in a low voice, "What were you thinking?"

"I was trying to impress you. I had done that multiple times." Anna explained still not looking at the Queen, "Reynolds taught me that and a whole bunch more. In fact I invented a few of my own moves."

"I am going to have a word with him about teaching something to impressionable young kids." Elsa said looking back out toward the scenery. That was when she heard a sharp intake of breath and looked to see Anna shaking slightly, "Anna what is it?" Elsa asked alarmed at her sister's reaction to what she had said.

"Well for starters you would have to punish or have that stern talking to with the whole guard because they definitely did not watch out for said 'impressionable' child when they did things," Anna stated as she tried to hold back her grief.

Elsa could tell the humor was an attempt at deflection, "Anna I am serious. That was very dangerous, what if you landed wrong? What if you didn't time the stunt right? What if-"

"Elsa enough please." Anna said as she got up, crossed her arms over her chest, and walked away from Elsa. The tone she used made her flinch internally as she recalled the night of the coronation and how Elsa did the same to her.

Elsa's mind drifted to the same moment; except now it was in reverse. Anna was the one pushing away and Elsa was trying to get into her sister's world. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to try a different approach, "Anna please, do not shut me out again." Seeing that her sister was listening at least she asked, "Please tell me what I said wrong."

Anna bit her lip, but did not face her sister, "Follow me." Elsa followed Anna over to a tree and Anna pointed to the carving. Elsa looked closely at it and took her hand to whip some of the snow blown coating off of the letters.

"In Remembrance of Officer Ian Reynolds of Arendelle. My Friend and the brother I never had." Elsa read out loud as she looked at Anna, "Oh Anna…what happened?"

Anna took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Ian was the only guard who would willingly volunteer to accompany me on my riding outings. The other guards said he was my official babysitter and made fun of him for it, but he never saw it that way. Instead he saw me as another kid, not a broken princess. Anyway I would always ask him for tips and stuff and he would gladly teach me. He even said that I would have made one hell of a guard." Elsa saw Anna smile at the thought as she made eye contact, "I used to joke back that I would be so good that I would be in the King's guard. He would laugh and agree with me."

"So he taught you how to defend yourself on horseback…" Elsa said as she recalled how Anna took charge with the battle with Marshmallow.

Anna nodded as she walked away from the tree, "Yup and a few other things. See he came from a country that lived and raised horses for a living. They would even train them to do any type of job; farming, riding, fighting, you name it and they trained them for it." Elsa fell in step next to Anna as they walked to the other small clearing. She saw Pharis resting by the watering hole and Anna sat on a rock; to which Elsa took the other rock across from her sister, "Well anyway Ian had taught me everything about horses and told me stories about his family and why he became a royal guard; and for once in a really long time I was not lonely when I was with him."

The way Elsa saw her younger sister's eyes tear up again, Elsa knew there was some deeper connection, "Perhaps you had deeper feelings for him?"

Anna shook her head, "Not romantically. That would have never had happened. You see he may have looked young but he was older than me. Like about ten years older. No I saw him as a protective older brother…in fact he reminded me of you…"

"Oh so he was my replacement." Elsa meant it as a joke, but saw that was the wrong thing to say as Anna glared her. She raised her hands in surrender, "I was joking Anna."

"It was not funny Elsa. Nothing nor anyone could replace you."

"I am sorry." Elsa said looking at her. Seeing Anna looking away, Elsa cleared her throat, "Anyway what happened to Officer Reynolds?"

"His home country was in war with other country. He told me he received a distress letter from his mother and father…I heard him pleading with father to give them aid, but I think at the time there was something going on with us that father could not afford to send any help to them. So instead Ian asked for a leave of absence to assist."

"Father wouldn't have allowed that though. He had taken an oath to serve Arendelle, his allegiance to his homeland would be non-existent or should have been." Elsa said surprised, "He should have known that."

Anna gave Elsa a look, "True, but Father gave it to him anyway."

"What?"

"Yes, he let Ian go home to help his family. I had kept in contact with him throughout his absence. He had said that the battles were devastating, but they were winning. The last letter I received from him was that it was over and they had won. He had said that he was going to return once he made sure that his family was safe. However about a month or two before Father and Mother left to go to Corona, I received another letter…it was from his mother…" Anna said softly. Elsa reached over and grabbed Anna's hand and gave it a squeeze, "She told me that Ian was in the stables when there was a surprise attack. Someone had lit the stables on fire and he was helping the horses…he was trampled to death."

"Oh Anna…I am so sorry." Elsa pulled her sister into a hug, "I am so sorry."

Anna cried softly, "I lost Ian…then later we lost Mama and Papa…and three years later I almost lost you…but Elsa," Anna pulled away from her sister to look at her, "you could have fought…you could have froze Hans and yet you chose not to. Why?"

"I believed I deserved to die. He told me that I had killed you and I technically did kill you." Elsa took a deep breath, "I had deserved death…"

"But it was not your fault."

"And neither is it yours. How is my feelings any different from yours Anna?" Elsa questioned sternly, "You believed that your heart deserved to be frozen? You were willing to let yourself freeze to death or you stepped in front of Hans's sword just because you thought it was your chance at redemption? How can you say I am wrong when what you're saying is ludicrous?"

"I pushed you Elsa so therefore I got what was coming to me. End of story." Anna said standing up now in a defensive manner.

"So we are going back to this game? Seriously Anna?"

"Well who is winning the game Elsa?"

"Well not you."

"Well if it is not me then it is certainly not you." Anna countered back.

They were both silent, Pharis was now up and staring at them. He saw the blonde woman was forming ice around her feet and he saw his rider looking at her in anger, "I am not letting you blame yourself." He heard his rider bite out.

"Well I am most certainly not letting you take it either." Elsa bit out with as much venom.

Pharis rolled his eyes and shook his head; apparently this was going to be tougher than he had thought. Looking up at the sky he saw the sun was starting to set and knew that this was as best as it was going to get for the day. He let out a call which drew the attention of the women, "He ok?" Elsa asked as the horse pawed the ground.

Anna looked at him and then at the sky, "We better get going. It is just about dinner time."

Elsa followed Anna over to the horse. However Anna paused for a moment and looked at her sister then looked at the horse as if something had just dawned on her, "You still feel like you're not in control…that is it right?"

"What?" Elsa asked as Anna stepped away from Pharis.

Anna looked at her sister critically, "You still feel as if you could lose control again. That is why you cannot let go of the past."

"Anna you are being-"

"No Elsa I am not. I can see it. Anytime we try to talk about this, I can see it in your eyes. You are afraid of losing control again." Anna looked at Pharis and they shared a look. Immediately a hint of understanding came across the horses eyes, "Do you want to try it?"

Elsa looked between her sister and stallion, "Do I want to what?"

"Take the reins." Anna said going over to the horse, taking the reins in her hands, and held them out to her sister.

"What? No!" Elsa exclaimed in alarm, "I thought you were the only one he would let ride! No I am not taking the reins! I do not even know how to ride!"

Anna's eyes flashed, "Do you want to understand me Elsa? Do you want to know what it is like for once to have complete control over something other than your powers? Take control and take the reins." In a softer voice she added, "I will be right here."

Elsa looked at her sister and replayed the words in her head. What does she mean do I want to understand her? Elsa asked herself, of course I want to…but what does that have to do with wanting control? Seeing her sister was waiting for a response, Elsa still shook her head, "No Anna. I am not taking the reins. Just get us home…"

Anna watched as Elsa walked to the side of Pharis. Anna shook her head and looked at Pharis mournfully. Without speaking she mounted the horse and helped Elsa up. Giving the command the horse took off like a bullet, "Anna slow down!" Elsa yelled as her grip tightened around her sister's stomach.

"No!" Anna yelled back as they cantered throughout the woods. They ducked as low tree branches came at their heads.

Elsa was shocked at her sister's stern reply, "Anna we are going to fast! Slow Pharis down now!" Elsa was frightened and hid her face in Anna's back. Anna did not respond as she leaned forward more and gave him another kick. Pharis responded by going even faster and lunging over fallen trees, "Anna!" Elsa yelled her voice muffled.

Strong winds and snow started to swirl all around them. However Anna did not care. She looked behind her and saw the ice trail and knew that her sister was the cause of it. Looking forward she gave the command to jump. Pharis lunged in the air. Elsa felt her stomach drop as they were taken airborne.

Once he landed, Anna pushed him forward once more, not even giving him the chance to slow down, "Say it!" Anna demanded loudly through the raging wind and snow.

"Say what?!" Elsa yelled back as the horse lunged into another clearing. She managed to open her eyes and looked forward to find out where Anna was pushing Pharis to go. Seeing their destination, she let out a gasp…they were heading to the town, "Anna we are heading right to the town!"

"I know! Do not change the subject! I want you to admit it!" Anna yelled as she snapped the reins.

"Admit what?!" Anna did not respond.

The people that were along the town square stopped suddenly as the sound of pounding hooves could be heard. Looking in the direction they see a dark cloud billowing in the sky, it was approaching them and it was approaching fast. People were still looking and returned to their business; that is until, "MOVE OUT OF THE STREETS!" A guy yelled as he pushed through the crowds, "MOVE!"

The pounding got louder and fiercer and now everyone saw what was happening. Recognizing the Princess's horse barreling toward them at a break neck pace they all parted into the small shops as quickly as they could, "MY CART!" Another guy yelled and in amazement they saw the horse with the Princess and the Queen on his back lunge over the obstacle.

Elsa looked backward to see the shocked faces of her people looking at them, "Anna someone is going to get hurt! Slow down!"

"No one is going to get hurt!" Anna yelled as more people ducked out of the way, "I am in control! Are you?!"

Elsa did not respond. Clearly she wasn't as snow was erupting around them from all sides. How Anna could tell where they were headed was beyond her, "Anna please!" Anna looked back at her sister and saw that she was really frightened, but she turned forward and saw the castle gates ahead as more people ducked out of the streets. Steeling her resolve she pushed Pharis one for one final burst. The horse could sense his rider's desire, however he also sensed the young Queen's fear. Letting out a call he leaned his head forward and made himself as lean as possible as he allowed himself to speed up.

The guards were confused as they saw the sea of people dodging left and right as a dark snow cloud brewed in just one area. However their questions were answered as the cloud was coming closer and they recognized the princess's horse and knew that something was wrong. "Open the gates!" One of them yelled. The gates were opened and they were waiting for their rulers to come through. However once they saw that the horse had no intentions of slowing down they too got out of the way just in the nick of time.

Elsa saw they were back home as Anna raced toward the stables. She was pleading internally for them to stop, she had once again closed her eyes and suddenly without warning she feels herself being thrown backward and her grip tightens around her sister's stomach. Then she feels that they have stopped. Anna releases the grip with difficultly and she opens her eyes. The snow cloud is gone and everyone is looking at them jaws dropped. She watches as Anna gets off and holds a panting Pharis still. Seeing that Anna is not helping her down, she shakily gets off the horse as the stable hands come and assist her after their initial shock. Anna hands the reins over to the man she recognizes as Daniel, "Good boy Pharis. Thanks for the great ride," Anna says as Pharis. Pharis nods his head proudly.

"Good ride?!" Elsa exclaims as she tries to gain control of her heart rate, "That was like a death sentence! What the hell was that about huh?!"

"Control." Anna said as she started to walk back to the palace. The servants who saw them enter saw two things: one angry and annoyed sister and another pissed off and enraged Queen. They all stood back and did not even bother saying anything, "Besides I told you to take the reins did I not?"

"Anna-"

"No! I told you to take the reins! I told you if you wanted to learn how I feel, then you should take the reins!" Anna stated firmly as she twisted around nearly colliding with Elsa.

Elsa glared at her sister, "I do not have any experience riding a horse Anna! What if I gotten us killed?!"

"What if, what if, what if…is that all that your tutors taught you?! Thinking about the 'what if's'?!" Anna demanded.

Kristoff, who heard the commotion, came out of the dining room to see Anna and Elsa almost nose to nose glaring at each other. He could see ice forming on the walls as he approached them, "Uhm…I take it you had a rough ride?"

Anna looked at her boyfriend and shook her head as she stepped away from Elsa, "I am going to get changed and head to bed."

Elsa groaned, "What about dinner?"

"Not hungry." Came the reply.

Kristoff saw Elsa give him a look and he reached into his pocket and took out a vile, "Wait Anna."

Anna turned and faced him. He held out the vile to her, "What is this?" she asked taking it from him and looked at it curiously.

"I went to Grand Pabbie. He said it would help you have a dreamless sleep. Just drink it before you go to bed." Kristoff explained.

Anna looked at him again and gave him a soft smile. She stepped closer to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you."

He smiled crookedly at her and pulled her into a hug, "Good night Anna. Sweet dreams."

"I thought you said this was a dreamless potion." She said smiling.

"It is, but I still want you to have sweet dreams anyway."

Shaking her head she gave Elsa one last look before she walked away, "Don't let the frostbite bite!" She called over her shoulder to Kristoff.

Kristoff turned back to Elsa, who was looking aimlessly down the hallway. He noticed her disheveled appearance, "Long ride?" He asked.

"More like a wild ride." Elsa answered back as she looked at him, "Pabbie didn't give you another one of those did he? I think I am going to have nightmares after what I just experienced."

"Actually…" Kristoff trailed off as he pulled out another vile and held it up to the Queen, "He did. However I did not tell Anna the whole explanation he gave me about it."

Seeing his guilty look, Elsa took the vile from him anyway and hazarded a guess, "Let me guess he gave you two on purpose in hopes we will both drink it."

"Yes," Kristoff nodded, "he said your recent panic attack set her nightmare off."

"Really?"

"Yes, he said that with all the added stress and everything, essentially it tricked her mind into thinking that it really was happening again. He said that while this will help the both of you into having a peaceful dreamless sleep, it will also help in your…issue."

"How?" Elsa asked looking at the vile curiously.

Kristoff shrugged, "Honestly I have no idea. He just that you two will experience a clarity."

Elsa nodded as she took a deep breath. She looked at the Ice Master and gave him a smile, "Thank you Kristoff."

"You are most welcome." He bowed deeply.

She gave him a playful shove and he smiled back at her. She started to walk away from him, "Are you not going to eat either?" He asked.

"I am sorry, but after Anna's wild ride my stomach is not all with me at the moment." She said gently.

Kristoff nodded in understanding and bid Elsa good night as they went their separate ways. Along the way to her room, she passed Olaf. He was talking excitedly as he had seen the scene at the town, when Pharis came charging through. He was telling her how all the kids found it cool when they had jumped over the carts and stuff. Olaf also told her however that the adults were not too thrilled with the spectacle. Elsa sighed and patiently told the snowman that she would take care of any complaints in the morning and bid the snowman a good night. He seemed to understand that she was really tired and said he was going to hang with Sven and Kristoff.

Elsa watched as he waddled away and smiled to herself. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of fun and exhilarating as she reflected the wind in her hair and the adrenalin that had coursed through her veins. As she approached her door, she paused. Looking to the door down the hall she carefully walked toward it. She raised her fist to knock on the door, but lowered it. Why was she even going to bother? Anna was pissed at her again, and she was just as mad still too. However as she turned her back, she faced forward again…what was that about not going to bed mad? She was about to raise her fist again, when the door suddenly opened, "Elsa?" Anna asked surprised.

"Anna. Uhm…uh…hi." Elsa said as she waved. Once again she found herself in a déjà vu scenario, except she was the nervous and awkward one and Anna was the calm and sophisticated one. She almost gaged at the usage of words she formed to describe her sister in this moment. Those were words she never thought she'd use.

"Uhm Elsa?" She jumped as a sudden hand was waving in front of her face. She shook her head and was looking at Anna again, "I asked what you wanted."

Elsa sighed and said, "I do not want us to go to bed mad at one another."

Anna looked at her sister and sighed, "Yea me neither. I was just hoping you taking the reins would help you."

Elsa had her hands behind her back so the vile was not insight, "Yea I should have listened."

"But I should not have pushed you, I just keep screwing up." Anna said bitterly.

Elsa released her hands and pulled Anna into a tight hug, "No Anna…no. You were trying to help and you know something?"

"What?" Anna asked pulling away.

"You were right. I still never feel like I am in control; which is why I still look back…" Elsa looked down, "I know when I look back it makes you look back…but Anna I am trying."

Anna pulled Elsa back into the hug, "I know and I am sorry too. I will try not to take anything too personally anymore."

Elsa chuckled, "You wouldn't be you if it was any other way." Pulling away the sisters looked at each other warmly and Elsa sighed, "Well I am going to go bed."

"Yea me too. I just took that potion and it's starting to work its magic." Anna said as she released a yawn and stretched, "Night Elsa."

Elsa smiled, "Night Anna. Don't let the frostbite bite." Anna smiled and stepped back into her room and quietly shut the door.

Going back into her own room, Elsa slipped on her night gown and looked at herself in the mirror. Uncorking the vile, she sighed, "Cheers." She toasted herself and drank the contents.

Gagging a bit at the taste she put the empty glass on her dresser and went over to her bed. Pulling back the covers she started feeling drowsy as soon as her head hit the pillow. Looking up at the ceiling she felt her eye becoming heavy and without any more energy to keep them open, she allowed them to close.

"Elsa?" She groaned at the voice, "Elsa please…wake up."

"Anna?" She called out thickly as she opened her eyes. Seeing her sister, she jumped up and looked around at the empty space, "What happened? Where are we?"

"I do not know. As soon as I hit my pillow I woke up here and there was nothing. Not until I walked over and saw you!"

Before Elsa could speak again, the area became suddenly bright. They covered their eyes and suddenly they heard laughing. The sisters shared a look and then saw immediately were the laughing was coming from, "Is that-?" They began to ask each other at the same time.

"_Anna!_" They heard a young girl's voice.

"_Can't catch me Elsie!_" They heard an even younger girl's voice.

Anna and Elsa just looked at each other again and asked out loud to each other, "What did we just drink?!"


	18. A New Clarity

**Phantom Agony**

**Chapter Seventeen: A New Clarity**

Before Elsa could speak again, the area became suddenly bright. They covered their eyes and suddenly they heard laughing. The sisters shared a look and then saw immediately were the laughing was coming from, "Is that-?" They began to ask each other at the same time.

"_Anna!_" They heard a young girl's voice.

"_Can't catch me Elsie!_" They heard an even younger girl's voice.

Anna and Elsa just looked at each other again and asked out loud to each other, "What did we just drink?!"

The younger girls stopped in their tracks and looked to see the older girls gawking at each other, "Look Elsie! They are speechless!"

"Anna it is not nice to make fun of people…even if they are us," came the gentle reprimand from the older girl.

This got the older women's attention as they looked at the young girls, "Wait you can see and hear us? This is not a memory?" Anna asked looked at the younger versions of themselves.

The older girl stepped forward and curtsied, "No it is not a memory; Princess Elsa of Arendelle at your service."

The young strawberry blonde also took a step forward, "Hiya! Princess Anna of Arendelle here and I am five!" She gave them a toothy grin. She then looked to see slight disapproval on her sister's face, "What?"

"You know that is not how we learned to greet people." The young platinum blonde stated by raising an eyebrow.

"They are us! It's not like they care!" Anna said then looked at them, "You don't care right?"

"I don't however uhm…yea I got nothing. Elsa?" However Elsa was stunned into silence not being able to speak. Anna looked worried and waved a hand in front of her sister's face, "Yoohoo! Elsa! Anyone home in there?"

"I think we broke her." The young girl whispered to her sister as she watched her older counterpart trying to revive the young Queen out of her shock.

"No I pretty sure if I know her and I do since she is me that this is a lot to take in at the moment…" The older girl replied back, "Sadly though we do not have time for this…Ah…Anna?"

Anna jumped as she faced their young counterparts, "Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"May I?" The young princess asked motioning to her older half.

Anna nodded hesitantly and stepped aside to join her five year-old self. She watched as the young princess created a snowball and then she threw it at the Queen where it met its mark right in her face, "Gah!" The Queen sputtered out as she whipped the snow off her, "What was that for?!"

"You went into shock, but we fixed you! Now let's go!" The five year-old cheered as she grabbed her arm.

"Wait what is going on? I do not understand…" Elsa said as she pulled her arm out of the girl's grasp as she looked at the young children.

Anna joined her by her sister's side, "Yea go where exactly?"

"We are here to help you." the older princess explained, "You see we represent what you two had and what you two need."

"What we had and what we need?" The older girls asked looking at each other.

"Yuppers!" The five year old nodded enthusiastically, "Older Elsie you want to understand me right?"

"Uhm…yes?" Elsa said, but it sounded like a question.

The older princess looked at Anna, "And you also want to understand me as well, you also want to know what it was like for me. Well that is what we are here for."

The older girls shared a look and Elsa turned back to them, "So what? You are going to help us? How exactly-"

"Through our memories!" The five year old cheered as she grabbed on to Elsa again.

"Was I always like this?" Anna asked looking at her sister.

"YES!" The two answered her in unison.

The two strawberry blondes looked at each other, "I do not know how to respond to that…" The five year old stated.

"Don't look at me." The older responded holding her hands up.

"Ok now we are really wasting time, let's go!" The blonde princess said as she took Anna's arm.

The room started to spin around them and Anna and Elsa looked at each other as they started to drift apart, "Anna!" The Queen shouted.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled back.

* * *

Suddenly there was a burst of light and Anna shielded her eyes. She felt the room come to a stop and the light dimming. Looking around she saw that the room had changed and that her sister along with her younger five year-old counterpart were no longer with them, "What just happened? Where are we?" She asked looking at the young princess.

"Do you not recognize were we are?" Elsa asked curiously.

Anna looked around and sure enough they were in the ballroom…and right in the middle of it was the two young girls playing without a care in the world, "No, please I do not want to see this again." Anna whispered as she tried to back away from the scene.

"But you will be seeing it from my perspective." Elsa said gently as she took the older girl's hand, trying to calm the eighteen year old down.

"But I already know what happened. We play, I jump on the mounds, causing you to slip, and strike my head." Anna snapped, not in anger at the young girl in front of her, but rather at herself, "What more is there?"

The young girl was unfazed as she watches the scene mournfully, "A lot more than you realize." Her tone was unlike any eight year-old should have, which made the feelings that Anna had even more pronounced. She just wants her own sister back, but seeing that protesting was not going to work, she reluctantly watches as once again the life that her and her sister led was destroyed once more.

* * *

Elsa was not fairing much better after seeing the repercussions the next day had brought on after her move, "Remind me again why we are watching this, because I am certain I know what happened to you after the accident."

"You only know what you heard;" She heard her really younger sister say in a voice that suggested she was much more mature than she let on, "There are two sides to every story sis. You just got to pay attention as to who is telling which side and what details are left out."

Elsa watched as the memories came at them. She watched as the five year-old grew each passing day. She saw the hurt and pain, even a few temper tantrums; however the one she saw really floored her. She had wondered where exactly her sister had the idea in her head that she was a spare, and while Anna had told her that is what she had thought at the time, she knew there was a deeper meaning, "_She is below proficiency; there is really no other way to teach her. Her sister managed to master these subjects in far less time than it's taking Princess Anna_." Elsa looked at her younger sister and saw tears in her eyes. However her focus was drawn to the now eleven year old who was in the hall, sadly she was in the perfect position to hear everything that was not meant for her ears. From their vantage point, they saw their algebra tutor talking with their other tutors.

"_I know_," they heard their language arts tutor, "_Princess Elsa is a wonderful well refined young woman. She will make a marvelous ruler_."

"_I just hope that Princess Anna can do better, for the sake of everyone and for Arendelle_." Their etiquette tutor stated as she sipped her tea.

The other's mumbled in agreement at this which Elsa saw the eleven year-old slowly backing away from the door, "_Well if not, then at least we'd look to Princess Elsa. After all you do know what they call multiple children born into royalty_…" Commented the foreign language tutor.

"_That is harsh and not right Claude. Princess Anna is more than just a spare_…" Elsa gasped as she heard that word coming out of the art tutor's mouth. Taking one look at girl she knew that all Anna heard was that dreaded word and that was when she ran away.

The scene went dark and before Elsa could speak, she heard the eleven year-old's voice once more, "_I am trying! I am trying really hard! I am doing everything you asked_!"

"_Well I am sorry Anna, but it is not good enough. Elsa has managed to keep up and you know our deal. Until you get a decent grade on your next exams, I am afraid you cannot ride Pharis_." Their father spoke sternly.

"_What?! That is not fair! I do try hard, but I do not know this stuff! I cannot be like Elsa_!"

"_Honey we are not asking you_-" The Queen tried speaking now, but Anna was not hearing it.

"_Yes you are! After all if Elsa fails at being Queen, then the title goes to me right? Because I am just the spare is that it?!_" Anna shot back.

Elsa looked at the young girl who was crying softly. Her instincts kicked in and she pulled the five year-old close to her, "I am sorry snowflake." The nickname easily rolled off her tongue. Internally she felt proud at the fact that she was able to recall the nickname as easily as she had come up with it all those years ago.

"Don't be sorry. That is why you are here. You carried so much of the blame that you forget that I was as much to blame as you, besides I caused all these memories. My actions have no reflection on you," Elsa looked at the five year-old, who now as if by magic turned into the eleven-year old.

"What? How-"

The now eleven year-old looked at her older sister and smiled, "Just trying to make you feel a bit more comfortable sis."

Elsa was about to speak when she heard a loud smack as a fist slams on the table. Turning back to the scene, they see Anna, the King, and the Queen standing. Anna and the King were glaring at each other and neither was backing down, "_Admit it! I am only the spare to you! I heard what they said about me and you know what? It makes perfect sense! I may not be as much of an academic as Elsa is, but I am not blind!__I know that is why you spend so much time with Elsa and not me__!"_ Anna yelled.

"_Do not take that tone with me young lady! My word is final! You are hereby grounded! No Pharis, no bike, no nothing!_" The King yelled harshly as he slammed his own fist on the table.

Anna glared harder and stood just as defiant, "_Oh so what now? You hope that locking me in my room like Elsa is going to somehow magically turn me into that perfect daughter you already have? Why bother?!_"

"_Anna! Leopold! That is enough!_" The Queen tried to cut in but no one heard her.

"_Anna Marie you are really on thin ice._" No matter how enraged the King looked, Elsa could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke. She felt someone grab her hand and looked to see her younger sister looking at her and giving her a weak smile.

The Anna in the memory was still glaring at their parents. The Queen took this as a sign to step in, however once again before she could speak, "_Well if I am on thin ice, I guess I better get off the fjord_." With that Anna turned on heel and ran out of the room.

"_ANNA!_" They called out.

The memory switched and Elsa saw they were outside by the stables, "_Stop her_!" Someone called and before anyone could do anything the doors of the stables shot open and Elsa saw Pharis barreling out with Anna on his back.

"You ran away?!" Elsa demanded as she whirled to face her sibling.

"It seemed reasonable at the time." She said shrugging.

"Reasonable?! How did you come to that conclusion?!" Elsa demanded.

The young princess did not respond as the scene became foggy. They saw the King barking orders, "_My horse! I need my horse now!_"

"_Leopold calm down!_"

"_I will not calm down Miranda! I need to go after her!_"

"_I beg your pardon your majesties_," their heads snapped to see a tall, dark haired person, wearing golden armor approaching them, "_but I think I know where she went. If you would be willing, I will go after the princess_."

"_No, absolutely-_" the King started saying, but the Queen placed a hand on his arm.

"_Go Officer Reynolds. Bring our daughter home_," then facing her husband her voice became deadly to match the dark expression on her face, "_you and I need to talk_."

The scene darkened, "That was from what Ian had told me that happened. So that was not technically my memory." Anna explained lightly thinking that was what Elsa was going to say about it. However the young Queen's eyes were watery and she shook her head.

"But you never-I never heard…I mean how couldn't-" Elsa sputtered out unable to form a coherent sentence.

Anna placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, "You were dealing with your own problems. You were trying to keep me safe."

"But I should have been there for you. I should have heard about this! I should-"

"Shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't Elsa. You shouldn't have had to done anything, you wouldn't have been about to do anything, and you couldn't have done anything." Anna said demanding her sister to listen to reason, "I did all this. It was all by my actions and choices. Fact of the matter is this was all on me…not you."

Before Elsa could respond, Anna placed her hand up, "Its ok. I obviously came back right? Besides I do not think you could have given me a better pep-talk than what I had gotten." She pointed to the scene and Elsa watched as it came to light.

* * *

Anna was with her technically older, but yet was younger looking sister. They had just watched all the practicing, internal self-sacrificing, and torment Elsa was going through, "This was all to help me. I did nothing to make this easier on you." The eighteen year old said mournfully.

"You did nothing wrong. In fact when you used to come by my door it helped a lot. I was too afraid to notice that." The eight-year old responded motioning to the scene.

Elsa was inside her room. Anna figured she looked to be about thirteen, which would have made herself ten, "_Elsa…do you want to build a snowman?_" the question came after the knocking.

"_No._" She watched as ice started to form on the walls.

"_Then did you want to ride our bikes around the halls?_" they heard another question, "_I think some company is overdue…I started talking to the pictures on the walls_."

There was silence, however Anna could see the guilt forming in the eyes of her sister, "That was the strangest thing I have ever heard you know." Anna looked at the eight-year old and could see a sad smile forming.

Anna nodded as she formed her own sad smile, "I remember this…" She whispered, "I started having hope again…" However the smile was short lived…after all she knew what they had said about hope: it breeds eternal misery.

"_Talking to the pictures on the walls?_" Came the response, however Anna winced as the thirteen year old covered her mouth. It was obvious that the question was not meant to be asked out loud.

"_Wow you can say something other than no!_" They heard the excited cry of the ten year-old, "_And yes! Joan is really cool! You would love her! She reminds me of you! Smart, brave, beautiful…_"

"You are melting the snow…" Anna whispered in awe as she heard herself continuing to ramble on and on about the paintings. The snow surrounding the room was slowly thawing as they watched the teen sliding down along the wall. Anna noticed the small sad smile forming on the girl's face as she continued to listen to the rambling, almost as if she was trying to take this moment and commit it to memory.

The eight-year old nodded fondly, "Yes I am. Love thaws remember?" Then she turned her piercing blue eyes on to the thirteen year-old, "You had kept me grounded. You tamed the storm, just as you had tamed the untamable."

"But you never realized that this was the answer…" Anna trailed off as she continued watching the scene.

"I was already too far gone Anna. I was drowning in my guilt and fear to notice that love was the answer." Elsa explained mournfully as the dreaded question came up once more.

"_Anyway do you wanna build a snowman?_"

Anna watched as the newly thawed room started to ice up once more and her sister's eyes widened in panic, "_No Anna! Please go away!_"

"_Ok bye_."

The scene went dark once more and this left Anna feeling more miserable, "If only I had left you alone."

"What would that have accomplished?" Anna spun around in surprise. Instead of seeing the eight-year old girl, she was looking at the thirteen year-old, "If you had stayed away, I am sure it would have only made things a lot harder on everyone. Like I had told you before, you were not the only one I was afraid of hurting." She pointed a gloved hand behind her sister.

Anna turned to see Elsa backed into a corner. The entire room is covered in frost and ice, "_I'm scared! It's getting stronger!_"

The King and Queen are looking at her with sadness. The King puts his hands up easily and says soothingly, "_Getting upset only makes it worse_."

He tries to go and hug her, but that only makes Elsa back up even more with fear as more ice and frost creep further up the walls, "_No! Don't touch me!_" Softly and pleadingly she says, "_I don't want to hurt you_." The King and Queen only look at each other with alarmed sadness.

The scene darkens again and now Anna watches as Elsa drowns herself more in her fear and misery, "But I still came and knocked on you door. I still forced you to replay that night over and over in your mind."

"But you never gave up on me. You kept giving me hope; you kept giving me a purpose to try and control it." Elsa reminds her gently, "Without you I would have tried to run away a long time ago."

Anna shook her head, "You did end up running away…however I pushed you to run…"

A surprised look crossed the thirteen-year-old's face as the scene is forced to change, "Wait I am supposed to be in control of the memories…how-?"

"_Let the storm rage on!_" They watch as the now eighteen year old builds the ice palace. Anna watches in awe and sadness at how free her sister looked as she creates the famous ice dress and for once she sees a genuine smile on her face.

"I had to go and ruin that," Anna pointed out as Elsa walks around her palace admiring its beauty, "I dare you to tell me that this was not my fault either sister."

"I was a coward Anna! This-" The princess motions to the scene as it dims out, "represents cowardice. This represents my ultimate mistake that I foolishly tried to run from. This did not make me truly happy!"

"Really because I believe I saw your true smile not too long ago." Anna states cynically.

"You know, I liked it when you were hyper happy. This cynical Anna does not do it for me." Elsa pointed out.

"Yea well this is what happens when I am constantly reminded how I screwed up my sister's life." Anna said bitterly as she crosses her arms and turns away from the young princess.

Elsa rubbed her face in her hands in frustration, "How many times must we go over this? I swear to Arendelle you are worse than father! In fact I swear that is where you get your thick headedness from!" Taking a deep breath she says slowly and deliberately, "You did nothing of the sort. My actions have no reflection on you. I made my choices in life, I chose to isolate myself from you. I chose to be a coward and hide away in that damned room, and I chose to push you away…all you ever did was try and love me. All you ever did was try and support me even though you had no clue what was going on…and above all else you wanted me to own up to my mistakes." Elsa again pointed at the scene.

Anna recognized this scene as the moment that she tried and pleaded with her sister to return to the city, "Do you really think that showing me this is going to change my mind? I know what happens. I try and talk you into coming home, and you accidently freeze my heart."

"Just watch please." Elsa groaned out, wishing that she was with her five year-old sister and not the cynical eighteen year-old. The eighteen year-old groaned and watched as once again she was forced to re-experience the agony of her heart being struck by ice.

* * *

The young girl was watching her older sister closely as her face changed multiple shades of funky colors. She had never seen her sister this angry, not even when Anna had broken into her secret chocolate stash, "Uhm…Elsie?"

But Elsa could not hear her younger sister's counterpart as she focused on the scene in front of her. Her Anna of course told her what had occurred in this very library room, she even heard that she had re-experienced this very moment the other night, however watching it was making her enraged. Hans was leaning in closely, she could see her sister waiting for the kiss that would never come. He stopped a few inches away and breathed out, "_Oh Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you_."

Devastated laced her sister's voice, "_What…you said you did_."

"I was so foolish." Elsa turned back to the girl with her and saw that she was no longer the confident, spunky eleven year old. She was now the innocent sweet five year old, "If only I had listened to you."

"It is not your fault. I should have-"

"No, I should have known better; but just like he said: I was so desperate for love. I never knew what love was Elsa." The five year old cried out as she hugged the young woman closely to her, "You tried to show me, by staying away from me. Protecting me…just like I did for you."

Elsa gasped as they were on the fjord, however she was alone this time as the young girl is not with her. All she sees that she is surrounded by white, "Anna!" she calls out, but hears nothing over the roar of the wind except almost unexpectedly she sees a figure approaching weakly, "Anna?"

She sees Anna coming into focus. Her hair is stark white and she is really weak. Elsa feels her heart breaking into a million pieces as her voice calls out softly, "_Kristoff_."

Just at that moment, before Elsa could move a muscle to try and help her sister, the winds stop and everything is suspended in mid-air. She looks to the left and sees Kristoff. It is apparent that he sees Anna, because he starts running for her. Joy fills her heart as she looks to her sister, because Anna manages a weak smile in his direction. However that joy is short lived as she realizes something…it was true what she had heard Anna say…she was so close…so close to her true love's kiss that could of saved her…

Then a drawing of a blade is heard and Elsa's stomach drops as she and the memory Anna face the direction of the sound, "_Elsa_?"

"No." Elsa whispers out even though she knows that this is only a mere memory.

Elsa watches as Anna looks to Kristoff. She sees the longing in her eyes as she looks at him, but then turns on heel and sprints over to where she and Hans are at, "NO!" Elsa yells just as Anna yells it.

The scene slams into darkness just as Anna freezes and Elsa breaks down, "Hey it is ok…" she feels a hand on her shoulder and looks to see the five year-old, "I am here and I am ok."

"But you…you were so close…"

Before the five year-old could respond another flash of light appeared and out of it stepped her Anna and her younger counterpart, "Elsie!" the five year-old ran over to her own sister who held her arms out just as Anna runs over to the Queen.

"Elsa what-?" Elsa hugs her Anna closely effectively cutting her off, "What happened?" Anna asked looking at her younger counterpart.

"She saw the fjord." The five year-old said hugging her own sister closely.

"Oh Elsa…I am so-"

"No. No more apologizing." Elsa said sternly, "I am going to do my damnedest to make sure you have nothing to apologize for ever again. You are more than a spare Anna. You deserve to be loved. You are not going to suffer alone again anymore, I will make sure of that. I will learn to forgive myself so you can move on and forgive yourself too. I will learn to let all of this go!"

Anna nods and helps Elsa to her feet however before she can speak her mind, Elsa starts to fade out of her grasp, "Elsa?! What is happening?!"

"Anna?!"

"Don't worry, she is waking up." The eight year-old said as she too started fading, "She knows what she has to do, she has learned what she needed to learn."

Before anyone could speak both the Queen and Princess were gone, leaving the five and eighteen year old alone, "So you know what you have to do?" the five year-old asked.

"I have a feeling you are not going to tell me."

"I shouldn't have to, I am you and you are me. We both know what needs to be done."

Anna sighed and sat down on the ground, "You make it sound so easy…so easy to go back to the way things were."

"It can be that way again…" The young princess joined her on the ground.

"But Elsa said it couldn't…she said it could never be that way again…"

"Maybe not exactly, but Elsie would never let us down…she loves us and she would do anything for us like we would do anything for her."

Anna smiled, "You are one smart kid."

"Well then that makes you smart as well." The words echoed all around as Anna felt herself starting to awaken. After experiencing the last memory with her sister, she knew what needed to be done if she wanted that bond back. The question however in her mind was: did she want things to go back to the way they were before? This thought lingered in her mind as she felt the pull of consciousness becoming stronger.

* * *

As the sun hit her eyes, Anna groaned and sat up to stretch. Despite having the...well, she did not even know what to call the event she had, she felt well rested. It was like she was seeing things in a whole new light. However she remembered her thought just before awaking…did she want to go back to having that type of bond with her sister…the one they had before the accident?

Looking in her reflection in the mirror, she saw her wild hair, however that is not why she was staring intently into the mirror as she had gotten up. Looking closely, she inspected her own eyes. They held sadness and a longing to them. Still studying her eyes, she began to try and tame her hair. Looking at her reflection and reading her own expression, it was as if she was staring at her five year-old counterpart again. Nodding her head firmly once she had gotten her hair under control, she decided that yes she did want that bond again…however once again, Elsa's words from the coronation came to her as she remembers that she had wished that things could have been. It was as if she could hear her sister's voice, "_It can't. It just can't_."

Frowning to herself, Anna goes to her closet and pulls out a simple, light spring green dress. It was like the one she wore when she showed Kristoff his new sleigh. Continuing to frown as she laid it on the bed she speaks her mind out loud, "She is right. It can't be like that again…"

However no sooner does she say that, she remembers the 'dream', "_We represent what you had and what you need_." Her sister's young counterpart had explained.

That had gotten her to think even more, which of course being how early it was for her, made her brain hurt. Apparently since her sister had 'awoken' before her meant that she knew what needs to be done…that she learned her lesson, "Which is what? I should know this…the answer is on the tip of my tongue…but why am I not getting it?" Anna asked out loud as if the answer would be shouted out to her.

Just then there was knocking on the door, which made Anna jump, "Anna? It's me, Elsa…can I come in?"

"No." Anna replied shortly as she tried to get her heart rate back to normal, "I am getting dressed." She added as she heard her sister's disappointed sigh.

"Oh…ok…I can just wait out here for you if you-"

"No, no it's ok. I will meet you for breakfast." Anna said as she started to beat herself up for sounding so awkward, "Promise."

"Alright…" Elsa trailed off and Anna heard her footsteps retreating.

Anna released the breath she was holding and closed her eyes. It was then that she saw the very last memory the Snow Princess showed her. It was the battle in the ice palace, her sister had not been prepared because she was wallow in the guilt at the intervention…she had seen the guards attacking and how Hans had 'saved' her…however Anna knew otherwise. That was the first accident that Hans had tried to cause, but then she saw how they had taken her back to Arendelle and how they had locked Elsa in the dungeons; and she also saw the conversation that Hans had with her sister. After that memory and more explanations from the eight year-old, they had returned to be greeted by the Queen and her younger counterpart.

Opening her eyes again she glared with determination in the mirror. She wouldn't do this anymore as she thought back to her sister's words. She knew that Elsa would keep her promise to her, however in order for that to happen, she would have to forgive herself…for both their sakes, then that is when it occurred to her, "What we were and what we need…" She gasped out loud. It all came to her in that one moment.

The epiphany struck her like lightening. It was never about going back…it was about creating or replicating. Of course things could never be the same, because they were both not those girls anymore…they were no longer naïve nor were they exactly innocent. There was just too much damage…however they couldn't live without each other and loved each other…but it was that love that was so much stronger than the one they had when they were that age.

What they had was a bond that symbolized the strength at that particular moment…the eight and five year old. However they were older and their love had grown. What they had was a natural bond between friends-best friends and sisters…what they needed was to-

"Create a new bond," Anna whispered out. Quickly getting dressed in a record fashion, Anna bolted out of her room and ran to the dining room. She did not know how it was going to happen, but she was going to her damnedest to create that bond.


End file.
